Ohio State basketball is now expected to have another first-round draft choice as Malaki Branham has elected to keep his name in the NBA Draft, he announced this afternoon.
Malaki Branham announces he will hire an agent, remain in the NBA draft and not return to Ohio State for a sophomore season.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 27, 2022
Branham spent one season in Columbus after graduating from Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary, and was an immediate star in Columbus, averaging almost 14 points and four rebounds in his lone Ohio State season. After a lackluster start, Branham came on strong towards to middle-to-end of the season, with big performances in key games against Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, and Villanova. Teaming with EJ Liddell, the duo quickly became one of the best tandems in the conference.
Branham, who originally entered the draft without signing with an agent (opening the door for his return to school) said all along that he would keep his name in the NBA Draft if given a first-round projection. Now, it appears he has indeed received that.
Ohio State will now be led by a potential starting five of Bruce Thornton, Sean McNeil, Tanner Holden, Justice Sueing, and Zed Key. The Buckeyes still have one more scholarship to work with following the departure of Branham.
Dave is the founder of The Silver Bulletin. After starting his own venture, Dave wrote for Eleven Warriors for four years whilst a student at The Ohio State University. After graduating in May of 2021 with a degree in marketing, the writing bug returned and The Silver Bulletin was born.