Ohio State Buckeyes

Timberwolves draft OSU's Keita Bates-Diop in second round

Published Jun. 21, 2018 11:58 p.m. ET

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With the No. 48 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Ohio State forward Keita Bates-Diop.



Bates-Diop, a 6-foot-7 forward, was named the 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year after averaging 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocks per game as a redshirt junior.

After starting 33 games as a sophomore in 2015-16, Bates-Diop was expected to explode onto the Big Ten scene the following year, but he was forced to miss the final 18 games in 2016-17 with a stress fracture in his left leg.

Bates-Diop returned healthy last season, establishing himself as a shutdown defender in the Big Ten with ease, thanks to a wingspan measured at 7-4. Bates-Diop can also shoot the ball -- 35.9 percent from 3-point range and 79.4 percent from the free-throw line last season.

The Ohio State product was projected by many to go in the first round, but the Wolves passed and selected Georgia Tech guard Josh Okogie with the 20th pick.

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