Ohio State points high-stakes replace on standout guard after hand damage

John Mobley Jr. suffered a hand injury in the Ohio State vs. USC game on Feb. 11. The guard has been crucial in the Buckeyes’ 16-8 (8-6) start to the season.

With March Madness approaching, let’s look at Mobley Jr.’s injury report and the chances of him returning before the end of the season.

John Mobley Jr. injury update

According to On3 Sports, John Mobley Jr. is ‘out indefinitely’ after suffering a hand injury in the Buckeyes’ game against the Trojans. The starting guard is averaging 15.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 24 games this season.

Aside from Mobley Jr., the only other player to start the first 24 games of the season for the Buckeyes is senior guard Bruce Thornton. Furthermore, Ohio State has been playing without opening-game starter Brandon Noel since he suffered a foot injury during a Jan. 5 home loss to No. 10-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.

John Mobley Jr. hurt his hand early in the second half of the USC showdown. He turned the ball over on a drive from the left corner, proceeded to come back up the court, swiped at a basketball and then backed away from the play while holding his right hand away from his body.

The Buckeyes took him out with 17:24 to play. He returned with 13:22 remaining after getting his right pinky and index fingers taped. He finished the contest with a stat line of 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, which included two three-pointers scored after the injury.

Who could replace John Mobley Jr.?

Ohio State coach Jake Diebler was asked after the victory over the Trojans how Mobley’s hand was doing.

“Better, because he hit those 3s after that,” Diebler said.

“We’ll see. We haven’t talked about his hand yet.”

Mobley Jr. is Ohio State’s second-highest scorer with 15.1 points per game. The only player with better scoring stats is Bruce Thornton (19.3 per game). He’s also making an impressive 40.0% of shots behind the arc.

Taison Chatman is well-positioned to be the player to replace him until he’s fully fit. Chatman is averaging 3.9 points in 9.1 minutes per game. He has featured in 19 games for the Buckeyes.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are currently looking to get to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Their next game is at home against Wisconsin on Feb. 17.