Ohio State’s trip to Puerto Rico gave the Buckeyes their first live look at someone other than themselves this summer, and two names stood out right away: Anthony Thompson and Justin Pippen.
The men’s basketball team is back from its “international” trip after beating two professional teams on the island by a combined 78 points. The competition may not mirror what Ohio State will run into in the Big Ten, but the games served their purpose as the Buckeyes keep building toward another grind of a season.
The players now have the last three weeks of summer to themselves before reporting back to campus by Aug. 23 for fall classes, while the staff stays in evaluation mode during a recruiting “dead period” that runs through Aug. 19.
That trip also gave a little more shape to the roster. After a summer of speculation about where Ohio State might land in the Big Ten, Connor and Justin had already settled on the Buckeyes finishing in the neighborhood of sixth or seventh. Justin pointed to the bench as a major swing factor after it was nearly absent last season, while Connor singled out Anthony Thompson’s transition to the college game and Justin Pippen’s shooting efficiency as two pieces that could decide where Ohio State ends up.
For Connor, Thompson was the clear standout in Puerto Rico.
Based on Adam Jardy’s reporting from San Juan and the clips Ohio State posted, Thompson put together the kind of trip that makes people sit up. In two games, he averaged 13.5 points on 61% shooting and went 4-for-10 from three. He added 13 rebounds across the two games and had two steals in Ohio State’s second win.
There was a caveat, of course: the level of competition was not Big Ten level, and Thompson drew only one foul while going 1-for-2 at the line. That suggests he leaned heavily on his jumper rather than constantly attacking the paint. Against stronger teams, the Buckeyes will need more from his 6-foot-9, 215-pound frame - more contact, more trips to the line, more of the physical edge Jardy said still needs to keep developing.
Even so, the early read is hard to ignore. Thompson looked comfortable, efficient and never rushed.
If that carries over, Ohio State may have something much bigger than a useful summer breakout. If he becomes an All-Big Ten type of player, this could be Jake Diebler’s best Ohio State team by far.
Justin’s pick was Pippen, and the case is pretty easy to follow.
The transfer from California has already had Justin thinking big, and Puerto Rico only pushed him further in that direction. Pippen opened with 12 points on 3-for-9 shooting, four rebounds, four assists and one turnover. He was sharper in the second game, finishing with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, two rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 18 minutes.
That works out to 13 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.5 turnovers per game for the trip. If that’s the version Ohio State gets all season, Justin said, Pippen would be an All-Big Ten selection.
The offensive numbers matter, but they are only part of the story. Justin also sees Pippen as one of the conference’s best on-ball defenders, and one of the best defensive guards Ohio State has had since Luther Muhammed, possibly even better. That defensive value will keep him important no matter what the shot looks like on a given night.
Between Thompson’s scoring burst and Pippen’s all-around impact, Ohio State got exactly what it needed from Puerto Rico: a first glimpse of who might drive this team once the real games begin.
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