Ohio State's guard John Mobley Jr., has decided to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft and return for his junior season with the Buckeyes. He always intended to skip this year's draft and continue his education for another year.Mobley enters a pivotal season, and if Ohio State aims for success, he must take charge of the team. With Bruce Thornton, the starting point guard and the heart and soul of the squad for the past few years, now out of eligibility and headed to the NBA, Mobley needs to step up and fill Thornton's shoes.What Mobley has to do in 2026-27 to help Ohio State succeed Last season, Mobley played in all 31 games, averaging 15.7 points and 2.8 assists. His scoring could see an uptick this year, but he'll need to elevate his assist numbers as well. While Thornton didn't record a high number of assists himself—averaging only 3.9 per game last season and four over his career—Ohio State will need to get players like Amare Bynum and Anthony Thompson involved in the offense.There’s a chance Mobley might not start at point guard and could continue at shooting guard. Instead, they might have incoming transfers Justin Pippen or Curtis Givens III take on the point guard position. However, even if Mobley doesn’t start as a point guard, he will still be the veteran leader in the backcourt. Having been with the Buckeyes the longest, he will be the one most familiar with how to run the offense early in the season, especially as Givens and Pippen adjust.It seems that Mobley is eager to take the next step with Ohio State, aiming to win an NCAA Tournament game. The Buckeyes made it to the Big Dance this past season after missing out for the last three years, but unfortunately, they didn't secure a win over TCU in the first round. Mobley is already eager to get back to work and improve on that performance.“It's definitely fuel to the fire, and it's going to be motivation for me every day for the summer coming up and the work I'm ready to put in to make sure we get back in this position and go further next time,” Mobley said on March. 20, via Eleven Warriors Andy Anders.Mobley will be in charge of Ohio State this season, and its success will largely depend on how far he can drive the Buckeyes.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow