NBA Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State’s Anthony Thompson

The 2027 class hasn’t been reported to pack the same punch as the previous two draft classes, though there will still be a handful of prospects who earn their way into the upper echelon of picks.

One such player who could is Ohio State forward Anthony Thompson, who’s set to be one of the more dynamic scorers in the entire class.

Below, we’ll offer a quick-scout on Thompson’s strengths, areas of improvements and NBA outlook:

Position: Forward

College: Ohio State

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 215

Draft age: 18.9

Strengths

Size and Length

At around 6-foot-8 with a solid build and fine athleticism, Thompson jumps out as a college-ready player. He was a top-10 recruit out of high school, and has some of the best general size, length and bulk of any prospect near the top.

Scoring Versatility

Thompson has proven himself a scoring machine over the last few calendar years, most recently averaging just shy of 24 points per game for Western Reserve Academy. Even more, he’s far from a one-trick pony, offering blistering shot-making in the mid-range and from three, while also adding some rim pressure. He won’t be a perfect offensive player at OSU, but should hit the ground running.

Defensive Upside

Thompson has put together solid defensive play-making numbers across his preps play, and now needs to carry those over to collegiate play. He blocked one shot and nabbed 1.6 steals per game in his senior season, showing off good awareness and instincts.

Positional Rebounding 

Thompson is a solid two-way positional rebounder, able to use his frame to sky for put backs or simply come away with defensive boards. That impact will need to remain despite him being what will likely be a go-to scorer at the college level.

Areas of Improvement:

Play-Making

Thompson is an adept scorer, but hasn’t yet mastered involving his teammates at a high rate. He saw a one-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio in his senior season despite blistering offensive output, and remained relatively low in terms of assists totals as well. He won’t need to function like a point guard, but NBA teams will want to see him share the rock, too.

Defensive Consistency 

Thompson can rack up steals and blocks, but likely need to show more general consistency and defensive stopping across complete games with Ohio State. He’ll be looked at as an offensive player, but will still add value to NBA teams by playing better defense. 

Outlook:

In a class headlined by only a few players, Thompson has the potential to massively boost his stock with elite scoring. If he can showcase efficient, double-digit scoring with the Buckeyes, he could very well find himself within the top-five-to-10 prospects. 

Despite his high-level scoring, he’ll need to showcase that he can defend, pass and more this season.

Projected Range: Top-Five to Top-10

NBA Role: Scoring Forward

Swing Skills: Defense