Devin Royal is looking lean this spring, a slight change in physique that matches his change in position.
Just ask him.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve slimmed down a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Royal said to a laugh from the Ohio State media scrum on Monday afternoon.
After emerging for Buckeye basketball at power forward last season, Royal is sliding back to small forward entering his junior year and drilling down on his shooting, ball-handling, passing and perimeter defense to produce on the wing.
“He's got to be OK being uncomfortable this summer,” Jake Diebler said on Wednesday. “And listen, he can do it. The one thing about Devin, he's got a really high basketball IQ and at the end of the day, he's going to find a way to be productive. He's always done that in his entire career at every level. So that production's got to look a little different, but it can't be completely, right? We can't completely go away from some of the things that makes him special.”
A top-50 prospect out of Pickerington Central High School in the shadow of Columbus, Royal flashed in limited doses as a freshman but became one of Ohio State’s most impactful players as a sophomore. He was second in scoring behind Bruce Thornton with 13.7 points per game and led the Buckeyes with 6.9 rebounds per game.
Royal was an efficient 52.5% from the field. His season 3-point shooting percentage was only 27.6%, but he shot 12-of-34 (35.3%) from behind the arc in his final 17 games of 2024-25.
“He worked really hard at improving his 3-point shooting,” Diebler said. “Significant improvement as to where he started (last) season, right? And he'll go up from there. There's no question in my mind. He has shot the ball really, really well. He's been training with Bruce. He's been training with some of our perimeter players all spring. We were intentional about that.”
There was a decision to be made after the season for Royal, who could have entered the transfer portal and drawn a solid NIL deal from another program. But he joined Thornton and sophomore John Mobley Jr. in returning as Ohio State’s core for the 2025-26 season.
“I just feel like the chemistry I have with my coach and just the love we have for each other and the team, that's the main reason I stayed,” Royal said.
Royal said he’s been working out with Thornton and putting in extra work after practice to up his shooting, ball-handling and screening actions.
“I'm staying versatile because I can move out and do everything on the court. And that's really what I want to be able to do, so no one can stop me,” Royal said. “I'm going to come into the paint, I'll be able to knock down the 3, pull up and screen, play make with my teammates.”
There might be more shooting, driving and passing involved for Royal, but he’ll still utilize the post game that boosted his production in 2024-25. He shot 59% from 2 and proved efficient at the foul line when drawing contact, making 77.2% of his attempts there. Physical play will remain his bread and butter.
“I feel like I’m always going to get that (inside game),” Royal said. “I like to body guys. I like to get contact. So I’m never going to shy away from that.”
Offense won’t be the primary concern in Royal’s move to the 3, however. Diebler went so far as to say he doesn’t “really have a whole lot of worry” about Royal’s position transition on that side of the ball. The top concern is his perimeter defense.
Royal was sometimes undersized (he stands 6-foot-6) at power forward but still played serviceable defense for the Buckeyes last campaign, even chipping in 0.9 steals per game. But now he’ll have to defend athletic Big Ten wings and chase opponents from the 3-point line. It’s something Micah Parrish excelled at while playing the spot last season, part of why Ohio State finished 22nd nationally in opposing 3-point percentage (30.5%).
“It's going to be an adjustment for (Royal),” Diebler said. “He's been able to wrestle with guys inside most of his career. Now he's got to be able to be on the perimeter more, identify different types (of plays), it's a different type of coverage. It's a different type of action he's going to see. So he just needs reps. He needs experience, because again, he can see it. He's plenty athletic enough. As he learns to use his size and length well on the perimeter, there's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be able to do it.”
Like with his 3-point shot, however, Royal believes he’ll get better with practice on defense.
“Just get your feet quicker, work on guarding guards like Bruce when we play in open gym or Juni (Mobley), just working on that,” Royal said. “Getting a lot of reps up. That's the main thing you gotta do.”
Royal’s rebounding is also a plus for him at small forward, and the Buckeyes have more length at power forward and center with Brandon Noel (6-8) and Christoph Tilly (7-0), respectively. Those two have things to prove in their move from the mid-major level to Big Ten basketball, but Ohio State stands to improve from its mark of 33.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25, which was 277th nationally.
“I think it helps a lot,” Royal said. “Having two guys down there (at power forward and center) that can actually rebound, because last year at times it was me and Sean just battling down there. So just having some guys down there that can help us, and even me running in and getting rebounds if need be, I feel like it's great for us.”
If Royal expands his game in his move to the small forward position, Ohio State’s chances to make its first NCAA Tournament in four years increase that much.
