Thomas is OSU’s sole playmaker, and
the only Buckeye averaging over 10 points per game this season.
The stretch-forward
has emerged as one of the nation’s most effective scorers because
of his ability to beat defenders both inside and out. Play him tight
and he’ll drive-by for an easy bucket. Give him space and he’ll
step back for a three. In fact, Thomas also leads the Buckeyes with
59 made 3-pointers.
However, Thomas'
arsenal of offensive moves is a double-edged sword for the Buckeyes.
Too often the team defers to isolating Deshaun, taking his teammates
out of the flow.
In this SnapCall,
we decided analyze how often Ohio State relies on Deshaun to score on
his own.
As the game
unfolded, the answer was evident: Thomas rarely sees a shot he
doesn't like.
The 6-foot-7
forward attempted 16 shots, including one in which he was fouled from
3-point range. Of those 16 shots, a whopping 15 came from isolation.
He made just 2 of those 15.
Hero ball personified.
Despite Thomas'
lack of team play, the Buckeyes grabbed the signature-win.
Ironically, Aaron Craft ignored his star forward down the stretch,
with great success. In fact, Thomas' final FG attempt came with four
minutes still to go in a close game. No surprise, it was an isolation
post-up.
There's no doubt,
Thomas is an incredibly talented scorer, but the $64,000 question
remains: can a one trick pony bring Ohio State a National
Championship?
Download SnapCall
from the iTunes App Store and play along to find out!
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