Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Tell me everything you think you know about Ohio State Buckeyes guard, Aaron Craft — I’ll wait…
Okay. Good.
Depending on how much Ohio State regular season basketball you watched compared to postseason play, your view on all things Craft-related may be very different. Neither observation would be incorrect, although, the person who followed Buckeyes’ hoops on the regular would have a better understanding of the player.
People who are just aware of Crafts’ postseason exploits would think he was a scoring machine — which he kind of is, in a roundabout way, but not on a consistent basis. For the entire season, the guard only averaged 10 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the floor. Nothing wrong with that, but not the bucket-maker some actually think he is.
The perception of Craft to the casual hoops fan is that of being an awesome, well-versed player; not a guy who never fully embraced the role of being the Buckeyes’ No. 2 scorer or a lock-down defender that some projected him to be at this point in his career. Still, that is not saying he is bad or anything — just not as good as the casual fan thinks. Which is also something that is jacking up the expectations for Ohio State next season.
Craft is going to have to start making perception reality if Ohio State wants to have another successful season. Not only will Craft have to be more productive offensively, but he will need to be a constant, aggressive defender on the other side of the ball.
Again — so I don’t receive Craft-related hate mail — he was a solid basketball player this past season. He showed glimpses of brilliance and flashes of awesomeness. Now he just needs to do it in every game.
Joe is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JospehNardone
