Deshaun Thomas, Nnanna Egwu

Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas went with the No. 58 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday after leaving the Buckeyes after his junior year.

(AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Deshaun Thomas will get paid to play basketball this year.

It just may not be in the NBA.

After leaving Ohio State after his junior season, Thomas fell to the No. 58 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, taken in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. It could be a perfect landing spot for Thomas, with a veteran team that almost won the NBA title under a future Hall of Fame coach in Greg Popovich.

Thomas did continue Ohio State's streak of draft picks, with Buckeyes selected in seven straight years dating back to 2007. That's the longest streak in college basketball.

But the second round doesn't include guaranteed contracts. And it can be tough to make a roster from the second round. Ohio State's Jon Diebler was drafted in the second round in 2011 by Portland and while playing overseas, hasn't played in an NBA game. If Thomas doesn't make the Spurs roster, he'll certainly have a chance overseas.

But Thomas should have a better shot to stick in the league.

Thomas was a happy-go-lucky Buckeye, maybe lacking some maturity, but never in an overly negative way. He just put a smile on his face and put up a shot. Hanging around Tim Duncan could provide Thomas some valuable guidance in how to go about your business as a basketball player.

On ESPN's draft broadcast, analyst Jay Bilas said he was surprised that Thomas lasted as long as he did, expecting that he'd go earlier in the second round because of his scoring ability.

But it wasn't a huge shock, with several draft analysts before Thursday putting him somewhere in the middle of the second round or out of the draft all together.

Given the outcome, some may question whether Thomas should have come out or stayed at Ohio State for his senior season. But Thomas wasn't going to improve his stock.

He didn't show great athleticism and quickness at the NBA Combine. He's not a great defender. He's a tweener – too small to be a rugged power forward, but not athletic enough to be a dominant small forward.

That wasn't going to change. And it made sense for Thomas, who could help his family, to start getting paid to do what he does best.

So he left. And he might find a role with a team that nearly won a title. The idea of Thomas providing bench scoring for a good team isn't far-fetched.

OSU assistant Jeff Boals and ESPN analyst Dick Vitale were among those shocked by Thomas' slide on Thursday night before the Spurs snagged him.

Thomas had been a considered a potential late first-rounder by some, a solid second rounder at one point and then more of a question mark as the draft process went on.

It wasn't his college career that pushed him down draft boards, it was more what teams saw in workouts. That would have happened this year or next year.

Thomas thought about leaving school as a sophomore. He came back and had the chance to be the focus of the offense after Jared Sullinger's departure and he led the Big Ten in scoring. He did all he could for three years.

And though he didn't go as high as maybe he thought or many others thought he would go, he'll have a chance to earn a living playing his favorite game.