Ohio State Landing Duquesne Transfer Jimmie Williams in Portal Bolsters Bench Depth
Coming into Saturday, serious questions were swirling around the lack of urgency Jake Diebler and his staff had with the transfer portal. With the portal closing tomorrow, the Buckeyes direly still needed two bench pieces.
Saturday afternoon, Diebler gave Buckeye fans a breath of fresh air.
Jimmie Williams, a junior who transferred from Duquesne after one season, brings needed size and shooting upside to the Buckeyes bench. The Solon, Ohio native averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game last year.
Williams arrives to Columbus after starting his college career at JUCO Wallace State CC for two years. He then enrolled in 2023-2024 at South Florida, where he was a solid depth piece for the Bulls averaging 7.5 points per game off the bench.
Last year at Duquesne, he started all 33 games for the Dukes, and was top-3 on the team in points, assists, rebounds, and steals per game as well as free throw percentage. He only shot 33 percent from deep last year, but showed an ability to find his shot from long range, spotting up as well as off the dribble.
How does hit fit within the Buckeyes Lineup
With Justin Pippen and John Mobley Jr. pretty much solidified as the starters in the backcourt for Ohio State, Williams and other transfer pickup Andrija Jelavić are expected to be the first off the bench. Pippen should be the main ball handler, with many sets based around getting Mobley open for three.
Williams is unique to the other two guards due to his size at 6'5. He also averaged 1.6 steals per game last season, making him an immediate go to defender for Diebler. This alone should earn him significant minutes from the start for Ohio State, with his ability to spot-up off of dribble drives.
Jake Diebler has put an emphasis on finding shooters off the bench with the additions of Williams and Jelavić, clearing more space in the paint for high flyers Anthony Thompson and Amare Bynum. If these guys can make an immediate impact shooting the ball, it can take the Ohio State offense to another level this upcoming season.
What is left for Ohio State in the portal
With tomorrow being the last day the transfer portal is open, Ohio State is still looking for another guard and center to bolster depth into next year's lineup.
With losing both Gabe Cupps and Taison Chatman to the transfer portal, the Williams addition still leaves Ohio State with three true guards they can go to this season. They have been connected to LSU transfer Jalen Reece, who would add another solid shooter with solid passing ability to the bench.
At center, Ohio State has Josh Ojianwuna, who is expected to start, and Ivan Njegovan who returns for another season with the Buckeyes. Jelovic has the size to play some five if needed, but ideally he works best in this offense as a stretch four. Ideally, if Ohio State can find another big who can challenge Njegovan over the offseason for minutes and add some size depth, Diebler will have some adequate depth across the board to work with after losing nine players from last year's roster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Ohio State Landing Duquesne Transfer Jimmie Williams in Portal Bolsters Bench Depth.
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