Cedric Russell joins Jamari Wheeler in the Ohio State backcourt for the 2021-22 season after serving as a bucket-getter for Louisiana.
Although head coach Chris Holtmann said Russell wasn’t a reactionary pickup following the loss of Duane Washington Jr., Russell brings a similar scoring prowess to the former Ohio State hooper.
Scouting report
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 190 pounds
Year: Redshirt senior
Position: Guard
Last year: Averaged 17.2 points per game behind shooting splits of 41.9% from the field and 40% from 3
What he brings
Russell was a walking bucket while at Louisiana and brings a scoring punch that the Buckeyes needed with the loss of Washington.
A scorer from all areas of the floor, Russell packs a quick release on his jumper which allows him to fire from virtually any distance. Like Washington, he loves the long-ball and attempted more than five per game in each of the last three seasons. Expect that number to dip as he enters a new system and few rungs lower on the totem pole, but Russell will continue to dial it in from long range, especially in catch-and-shoot situations.
Russell isn’t quite the playmaker that Washington turned into in his final season as a Buckeye and will likely need to improve in that area after tallying just 1.2 assists last season.
What to expect in 2021-22
Don’t anticipate Russell to average the numbers he put up at Louisiana as his numbers will likely dip due to less opportunities. But Russell will still pack a scoring punch for the Buckeyes from the wing and he, alongside Justin Ahrens, could help make Ohio State one of the premier 3-point shooting teams in the country.
Whether he’ll start or not is still up in the air, but he would thrive in a spark off of the bench role — comparative to Jordan Clarkson’s or Lou Williams’ roles for their respective NBA squads.
It will also be interesting to see how Russell adjusts to the more physical style of play in the Big Ten and the leap from mid majors to one of the best conferences in college basketball.
