Jon Diebler - NBA Prospect?

       It's not as crazy as it sounds, well, maybe it is. He isn't athletic, nor will he be able to defend much at the next level, but the sharp-shooting senior wing from Ohio State is on the radar of a couple NBA teams. Not so much as a first or even second round pick in this year's draft, but as a summer camp invitee who could certainly work his way onto a team's bench instead of checking out Europe. There hasn't been a better shooter in the past week when Diebler knocked down 17, yes, count them, 17 3s in 20 attempts. That's a staggering 85 percent from 3-point range. His 10-for-12 outing of Penn State set a school record for 3s in a game, while his 7-for-8 performance helped set another record- this time, the best 3-point shooting barrage in Division I history. The No. 1 Buckeyes made 14-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc with Diebler's first attempt, the only miss of the game.

        The 6'6" guard now has 95 made 3s on the year- sixth in the nation, while his 51.1 percent accuracy rate is third in the country. Former 6'8" forward, Jason Kapono never shot as well as Diebler, yet finds himself making a cool $6.5 million a year.

        Now most of Diebler's shots come by way of Jared Sullinger's dominance down low, or penetration and kick-outs from the Buckeyes' guards, meaning its very rare to see Diebler create for himself. He uses screens well to fade or pop into the open areas. Shooters are always in demand at the next level, and that's just what Diebler is- a pure shooter, and not much else. Although Diebler can handle the ball well enough to run the offense at the next level, he isn't nearly athletic enough, nor a consistent enough scorer in other aspects of his game or defend well enough to be on the court for long stretches. But when he's on, it's difficult to slow down Diebler from the perimeter.


By President Corey Ruff - 3-7-11