In late May, Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson officially signed with an agent after declaring for the NBA Draft a couple months prior. Although Wesson technically has the option to return for his senior season in Columbus, it is widely assumed that he has played his last game in an Ohio State uniform.

Replacing Wesson will not be easy. Not only was he the Buckeyes’ leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, but his presence on the court alone changed the entire flow of a game.

Wesson’s size (6-foot-9 and 270-pounds) drew defenders to him anytime he stepped inside the three-point line, and he was deadly outside the arc as well. It is no secret he was the main name on Chris Holtmann’s game plan and the opposing side’s scouting report.

Replacing the big man from Westerville South is almost an impossible feat given the combination of skills and physical traits he possesses. Most of his production will have to be taken over by a committee of two: senior Kyle Young and sophomore E.J. Liddell.

Young, a 6-foot-8 forward, will be the lone four-year senior on the Buckeye roster. A high-energy forward with a knack for catching the lob pass, Young has not had to create much for himself in the past. Last season, he was No. 4 in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage for players who played more than 300 minutes.

Liddell had a prototypical Big Ten freshman season as an undersized (6-foot-6) power forward. He struggled with the league’s physicality at first but notched two 17-point outings late in conference play and led the Buckeyes in blocks for the season. Another springy forward like Young, Liddell has the highest ceiling of any Ohio State player.

Neither of the big men can match Wesson’s size and skill, but both bring unique traits that Wesson did not have. Looking back, there were two main areas of offense where Wesson was able to become a force in the Big Ten: his gravity in the interior and his pick-and-pop three-point game.

The area where Wesson stands out most from the normal post player is patience. He showed the incredible ability to avoid rushing a shot when given the ball down low, even with double-teams heading in his direction.

Most big men would kick the ball out and start a new possession right away. Instead, Wesson keeps the ball high and uses his pivot foot to evade the digging defenders and finishes through the last defender in front of him.

Wesson could post up from either block and could use either hand to finish. He was not quick to make a decision with matchups and often waited for defenders to jump, leaning in and drawing contact.

Holtmann often ran “seal” plays for Wesson, isolating him on one side of the court for what looked like a normal post-up, then rotating the ball to the top of the key, allowing Wesson to lock his man behind him and receive a pass in the middle of the court, often for an easy look.

The play above against Penn State was a favorite of Holtmann’s. Kaleb’s brother Andre was adept at feeding the big man down low, and you can see Andre pop out to the top of the arc and immediately look to Kaleb sliding across the middle.

Young developed more of a post presence his junior year, normally capitalizing on high-percentage shots inside.

Young slowly used the seal more and more, implementing it in motion offense rather than set plays. He has the same wide base as Wesson, and his quick dives and cuts around the basket give him a variety of cheap baskets.

Both Liddell and Young need to add to their play making arsenal. Wesson was an above-average passer who could keep his head up in the paint, something Young (0.9 assists per game last season) has struggled with.

Wesson seals well in the clip above against Northwestern, but three defenders are on him as soon as he turns. When he recovers, the entire Northwestern team is focused on him, allowing him to drop off to a cutting Andre Wesson. He draws so much attention to himself down low that it has opened his play making drastically.

Opponents double-teamed Wesson from the weak side every game last season. When he would receive a pass in the post with teammates spread around the perimeter, the backside defender sprints over and doubles him.

Fort Wayne, like most teams, chose to double Wesson on the catch. You can see the weak side defender sprint over, while the corner man rotates up. Wesson notices the shift, and so does Kyle Young, who cuts unnoticed to the basket.

Young and Wesson paired very nicely together because Young is excellent at straight-line cuts. He finds the open seam in the defense every time there is one. He does not have a polished post-up game, but his ability to drive a gap and muscle through contact in the interior acts as a rough-around-the-edges version of a back-to-the-basket game.

Holtmann rarely draws up anything for Young, but occasionally he’d run what looks like post-up for Wesson, instead allowing Young to come across the key on a semi-Iverson cut and receive a pass headed directly towards the basket. Wesson seals the help defender off and creates the open look due to his threat as a post player.

Young almost exclusively finished off two feet inside, allowing him to stay wide and explode off the ground through defenders. One thing Wesson, Young and Liddell all do well is take the ball up strong through contact.

Liddell had more than a few of these loose ball layups during the season. His ability to stay on balance with multiple defenders hanging on him is outstanding. He is strong and a quick leaper, a combination which allows him to play bigger than his on-paper size.

The difference between Young and Liddell’s work inside the arc is Liddell’s polished back-to-basket game. Even as a freshman, Liddell provided some late clock, bailout shots from the high post. He was rarely given a direct post up, but his knack for the turnaround jumper stands out for such a young player, a promising sign when it comes to replacing a primary post player.

Wesson took 3.4 three-pointers per game and led Ohio State in percentage from deep in his junior season. A huge amount of his threes came from the pick-and-pop, which allows the ball handler to come off a Wesson screen and drive both his own defender and Wesson’s defender deep into the midrange, leaving Wesson waiting wide open outside the arc.

C.J. Walker worked with Wesson beautifully on this play in almost every game. You can see him push the ball all the way to the right lane line opposite Wesson. When his own defender and the Penn State big guarding Wesson are both completely focused on him, he finds Wesson all alone beyond the arc.

This only works when the floor is completely spread, taking away the threat of help defenders cutting off the pop. Wesson was adept at finding the open space around the top of the arc and almost lulling defenders to sleep by hanging around a few steps outside the arc.

Here, Wesson does not even need to screen. Both defenders run at Walker, leaving Wesson alone. His range extends beyond just the three-point line, and he is ready to step into a shot as soon as he makes the catch.

Liddell and Young do not bring much to the table from the three-point line. Liddell made just five three-pointers on 26 attempts as a freshman and was not a real threat from deep at any point. Young was no different, hitting just two from outside the arc.

Young scored here, but his attempt at popping to the three-point line was a failure. No one pays any mind to him at the arc, which clogs up the paint and halts spacing for the offense. Being given no respect outside the paint makes Young a relatively one-dimensional player right now. Most defenses will not even bother to close out on him outside of 15 feet.

In order to replace Wesson with any success, one of Liddell or Young must at least make defenders think twice about leaving them open at the three-point line.

Though Wesson dropped significant weight entering his last season in Columbus, Liddell and Young still hold an athletic advantage over him. Both bigs ran the court at a high level last season, resulting in easy looks and put backs.

It does not result in a basket for Young, but he gets out ahead of D.J. Carton and sets a backside screen on the defender, giving Carton the open lane. Oftentimes Young will block off defenders without setting an actual screen to give teammates open looks.

Young also excels at the timely leak out, leading to a wide-open dunk. He can sneak by the last line of defense on a loose ball or long rebound and break towards the basket.

Like Young, Liddell hustles down the court on nearly every possession, setting himself up to receive a trailer pass down the lane or grab an offensive rebound. He has a high motor and the athleticism to match.

Here’s Liddell’s explosive leaping skills at work again- he trails the first fast break and is available to clean up what is left behind.

With no Wesson and a quicker, smaller team, Young and Liddell will be able to use their athleticism to their advantage, getting out on the break and finishing down low.

Replacing Wesson on offense is not something that can be done. But the pair of forwards bring enough of their own skills to the table to give the Buckeyes a different look.