Anthony Thompson’s path at Ohio State already has NBA Draft buzz attached to it, and not the casual kind. The freshman arrives in Columbus with a profile that puts him in the same conversation as some of the highest picks in Buckeyes history, from Greg Oden at No. 1 in 2007 to Evan Turner and D’Angelo Russell at No.
2, Dennis Hopson and Larry Siegfried at No. 3, and Mike Conley Jr., Jim Jackson and Kelvin Ransey at No. 4.
That’s the neighborhood Thompson is stepping into, and there’s a real case that he could one day live there.
The hype starts with the recruiting résumé. Thompson, a Lebanon, Ohio, native, was a consensus five-star prospect, ranked No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in Ohio by 247Sports.
He also became Ohio State’s first McDonald’s All-American since D’Angelo Russell in 2014. And this wasn’t just empty buzz built on potential.
His numbers at Western Reserve Academy backed it up.
As a senior, Thompson averaged 24.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. On the Adidas 3SSB circuit, he posted 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, hitting 53 percent overall and 39 percent from deep.
What makes him so intriguing isn’t only the scoring. It’s how he gets it.
Ohio State lists Thompson at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, and that frame opens the door to a much bigger NBA conversation. He’s a left-handed forward with a high release that lets him shoot over defenders, real comfort creating from the mid-range and more pressure at the rim as his game develops. The movement skills stand out too, especially for someone with his size and length, and that same length gives him defensive playmaking upside.
That blend is what makes the projection so appealing. He’s not just a tall shooter, and he’s not merely a long athlete. He has the look of a scoring wing who can operate at multiple levels and defend multiple positions.
The freshman season is where this gets sorted out.
The chance should be immediate. Jake Diebler has already said Ohio State expects Thompson to play a major role, and my projected depth chart has him starting at small forward. He also lands on a roster that should let him play off established pieces like John Mobley Jr., Justin Pippen and Amare Bynum instead of forcing him to shoulder everything on his own.
There’s already been a glimpse of what that might look like. In Ohio State’s August exhibitions in Puerto Rico, Thompson put up 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 18:47 against Los Boris 1. He followed that with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in 20:49 against Los Boris 2.
Those games don’t count the same way the regular season will, but they did offer an early snapshot of a player who can fill up a stat sheet in more than one way.
The bigger question is consistency. The scouting world already seems to like what it sees. Sports Illustrated projected Thompson in the top five to ten range entering the season and labeled him a potential scoring forward, while another SI draft piece said that if he adds rebounding, passing and defense to his scoring, he could work his way into the top three.
The current boards are strong too. Tankathon has him No. 6, and Bleacher Report also has him at No. 6.
That’s why the stakes for this season are so high. If Thompson becomes a dependable double-digit scorer, finishes efficiently, holds up on defense and shows more creation off the dribble, the conversation changes fast. It stops being about whether he’s a lottery pick and starts becoming about just how high he can rise.
For Thompson to make a serious push toward Ohio State’s all-time top three draft slots, he’d probably need to be in the mix for Big Ten Freshman of the Year at a minimum. The scoring will matter, but the broader evaluation will come down to whether the rest of his game catches up to the shot-making.
And the ceiling is obvious.
A 6-foot-9 left-handed scorer with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, elite shot-making and real defensive playmaking is the kind of profile NBA teams chase. Thompson is only 18 and still developing physically, which leaves room for more growth.
Maybe he doesn’t end up joining the very top of Ohio State’s draft list. That’s a massive standard. But if he puts it all together in Columbus this season, a top-five pick - and even a place among the three highest-drafted Buckeyes ever - is firmly on the table.
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