Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes alums impressing in NBA Summer League
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Buckeyes alums impressing in NBA Summer League
Jamison Battle shattered his career-high 3-point shooting percentage during his lone season at Ohio State. The 6-foot-7 forward converted 43.3% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 2023-24, the ninth-best clip of qualifying 3-point shooters last season.
He made five or more triples in six games as a Buckeyes starter, at one point stringing together four such performances in a row, tying Jon Diebler’s record for the most consecutive outings with five-plus 3-pointers in program history.
Battle was a longshot to hear his name called in this year’s NBA Draft, but his prolific shooting at Ohio State earned him an NBA Summer League opportunity with the Toronto Raptors, and, boy, is the Robbinsdale, Minnesota, native making the most of it.
The undrafted marksman’s not the only former Ohio State standout impressing right now, either. Lettermen Row is rounding up the head-turning Summer League performances from Buckeyes alums so far this month.
JAMISON BATTLE (TORONTO RAPTORS)
Battle played only 16 minutes Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, but he logged a team-best plus-minus of +16. He was one of only three Toronto Raptors players in double figures, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Battle hit 3-of-5 long-range attempts, helping the Raptors outlast the Nuggets. He chipped in a rebound and assist along the way, too.
He turned in a similar stat line in his Summer League debut the day before. In a 94-69 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Battle piled up 12 points in 15 minutes. He knocked down 4-of-6 shots, including 2-of-3 from 3-point land, and drilled both of his free throw attempts. When all was said and done, he was +7 on the night.
So, over two games, Battle is shooting 8-of-12, or 66.7%, from the field and 5-of-8, or 62.5%, from deep.
EJ LIDDELL (ATLANTA HAWKS)
EJ Liddell is trying to jumpstart his career with the Atlanta Hawks after he was traded from the Pelicans earlier this summer in a meaty deal that sent star guard Dejounte Murray to New Orleans.
After recovering from an ACL tear that cost him the entire 2022-23 season, Liddell appeared in eight games with the Pelicans last year, not to mention 26 games with the Birmingham Squadron of the G League. While playing for the Squadron, the former two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection averaged 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game.
Liddell didn’t make a huge dent in the box score during his first Summer League appearance with the Hawks, but Sunday he was in the spotlight. Liddell once again came off the bench, but this time he played 27 minutes and piled up a game-high 22 points. In fact, no other player on the floor had more than 13 points to their name that night. Liddell shot 6-of-14 and cashed in on a pair of 3-pointers. He also connected on 8-of-10 tries at the charity stripe. Plus, he tallied five rebounds and four blocks, albeit in a 79-76 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
DUANE WASHINGTON JR.
Duane Washington Jr. can score at the NBA level, that’s pretty clear. Remember when the former Buckeyes star set an Indiana Pacers rookie record for most 3-pointers in a game with seven against the New Orleans Pelicans back on Jan. 24, 2022? Or when he poured in 26 points, eight assists and four rebounds in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 27, 2022, for the Phoenix Suns?
Both the Pacers and Suns waived Washington, despite him starting a combined 10 games over two seasons and averaging at least 7.9 points per game with each squad while shooting at least 36% from downtown each year.
Since, he’s signed a flurry of two-way contracts with the New York Knicks yet hasn’t been able to find a spot on the roster. He’s giving it another go this summer, and he’s off to a fantastic start. He got the starting nod Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets. Although the Knicks lost, Washington starred with a team-high 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting. He was 4-of-8 from long range and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Washington tacked on three rebounds and a steal, but he did have a trio of turnovers.
His fourth and final 3-pointer landed from way downtown and made it a 90-85 game with 1:20 to go. The Knicks then got within one possession of the Hornets, except they ultimately fell short, 94-90.
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BRICE SENSABAUGH (UTAH JAZZ)
Injuries have been a thorn in the side of Brice Sensabaugh during his young career, but his latest — a torn extensor tendon in his left middle finger — should keep him out just six weeks.
Sensabaugh, who had meniscus issues in high school and then another knee procedure toward the end of his only season at Ohio State, proved why he can be a valuable piece in the Utah Jazz’s rotation after the All-Star break last season. In April, he averaged 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting 42% from the field and 41.2% from deep in that seven-game span.
The former first-round pick carried over that end-of-season success to the Utah Summer League this month. He scored 15-plus points in all three of his outings before Las Vegas. Granted turnovers were an issue for him — he committed seven in the first game against the Memphis Grizzlies and five in the third game against the Philadelphia 76ers — but his scoring production remains encouraging.
He just needs to stay healthy. Luckily for Sensabaugh and the Jazz, he should be back in time for training camp.
Five Questions for Buckeyes ultra-talented cornerbacks unit
It’s Lettermen Row “Cornerbacks Week,” and we’re kicking things off with five questions about arguably the deepest unit on the team.
That includes, “Can Ohio State field two first-round starting cornerbacks?” Denzel Burke has helped restore the “Best in America” status in the Ohio State secondary. He’s back to help the Buckeyes beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and, of course, bring home a national title. But he’s also back to increase his NFL Draft stock. He wants to be a top-10 pick and the No. 1 corner in the 2025 class. He plays alongside Davison Igbinosun, one of the best run defending corners in the Big Ten who has length reminiscent of Jeff Okudah, a former Ohio State star at the position who went in the top five of the 2020 draft.
In addition to fleshing out that hypothetical, Lettermen Row tackles four other questions in this piece. Check it out here.
Buckeyes we wish we could have played as during NCAA football video game hiatus
It’s here. It’s finally here.
After 11 long years, EA Sports has released another college football game, and it’s beautiful. But Lettermen Row decided to look back on the last decade and pick out the Buckeyes we wish we could have played as during the NCAA football video game hiatus.
It’s a fun exercise you can read here.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 46 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 137 days
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