Ohio State's Justice Sueing works out for Golden State as he chases NBA dream
Value City Arena was empty and time was running out.
It was late February, and Ohio State was trying to put a cherry on a season that it couldn’t wait to move beyond. With senior day approaching and the Buckeyes amid a spell of 14 losses in 15 games, sixth-year forward and team captain Justice Sueing was at a crossroads. Sitting down for a one-on-one interview in the lower bowl of the arena that had been his home for four years, Sueing’s gaze was just starting to make out what lay on the horizon beyond the looming final game of the season.
There were options. After a sit-out transfer year, a medical redshirt season and with the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility in his pocket, Sueing still could remain in college for a seventh season. He could hang up his shoes, move on to the real world and put basketball in the past.
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Or he could go the professional route, which is where he presently finds himself. Tuesday, Sueing spoke with reporters after a pre-draft workout with the Golden State Warriors, one of six the former Buckeye either has taken or is scheduled to take. He’s a longshot to get selected in this month’s NBA draft, but Sueing was clear: he’s got a chance to chase his dream, and he’s all-in.
“The biggest thing is I’ve been looking at this stage for a long time,” Sueing said. “I had little hiccups at Ohio State with a little bit of injuries, but now that I’m completely healthy and being able to go and compete at these workouts, matching up with some of these good players that are going through the process as well I can see myself really succeeding at this level and definitely being at the professional level.
“I just put two feet in and I’m giving it my all.”
Sueing totaled 131 games at the college level, the latter 68 of which came at Ohio State during the last three seasons. He transferred to the Buckeyes after two years at the University of California, sat out a year to satisfy the NCAA transfer rules of the time and missed the second half of the year after suffering a left foot injury that would require surgery. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 2020-21, the following year, but injured his groin in the final weeks of the season.
It lingered, and after two games in what was supposed to be his final season Sueing was eventually shut down for the entire year. He returned for 2022-23 and averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, but Ohio State went 16-19 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season. There were highlights along the way for Sueing, but there were also many obstacles.
“Having those little hurdles, you don’t realize how much they have an effect on you until you actually go through it,” he said. “The important thing was I was able to overcome them, able to learn a lot about myself, my body, how to keep myself even healthier as I continue on my career going into this professional path. I definitely think it made a difference, but I can’t focus on what was. I’m onto what is, and that’s what it is right now. I’m going into every workout trying to show the best version of myself.”
That has meant working on his conditioning and his perimeter shooting. After shooting 36.1% from 3 during the 2020-21 season, Sueing hit a career-low 28.9% from deep in his final season but started to find a rhythm late. As Ohio State won five of its final seven games, Sueing went 12 for 26 (46.2%) from 3. Sueing participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he averaged 9.7 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 23.1% (3 for 13) from 3 including an 0 for 5 effort in his final game.
Sueing said that his ability to contribute in multiple phases of the game has helped him in NBA workouts and that the biggest feedback he’s gotten has been that shooting is a necessity at the professional level.
“(It’s been a focus) day-in and day-out, having the same shot,” he said. “No matter how boring it gets, that’s what’s required, being able to come in and have the same shot every time. I feel like I’ve improved a lot since the end of the season. I was able to pick up my percentages at the end of the season at Ohio State and I’m just carrying that on as I’ve gone through this process.”
As he’s gone through the process, Sueing said he’s talked with former teammates Duane Washington Jr., E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham, all of whom were on NBA rosters last season. Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann and his assistants have been in contact, checking in on his mental health and making sure he’s physically prepared for the journey.
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For years, the focus was on helping his fellow Buckeyes win games. Now, it’s solely on being the best Sueing he can become, whatever that might look like.
“I loved my years at Ohio State,” he said. “I loved playing under Holt and being part of that culture but being able to venture off into my own personal career, this dream of mine that I’ve been chasing since I was a kid in Hawaii, it’s special. Knowing I’m able to put two feet in through this entire process, I’m loving it.”
Sueing said he has upcoming workouts with Oklahoma City and Washington.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NBA hopes fuel Ohio State's Justice Sueing after Golden State workout
