The idea of Duane Washington Jr. potentially going pro began percolating in the latter half of the 2020-21 season. It got ramped up when he declared for the 2021 NBA Draft a few weeks after the season, and it went into hyperdrive when his G League Elite Camp performance earned him an invitation to the NBA combine.
By that point, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann-led coaching staff had a decent idea that the ever-confident Washington would end up sticking with his decision to go pro.
With the potential reality setting in, the question then became, what would happen if he did, in fact, leave?