Meechie Johnson Jr.’s game has drawn plenty of adjectives during the past few years.

But when he looked at this year’s season opener, a game that marked his first career start at Ohio State, the playmaker from Garfield Heights, Ohio, kept coming back to one word that he’d never hoped to associate with himself.

“I think I played a little timid the first game and that’s not me,” Johnson said.

As the No. 17 Buckeyes needed a last-second shot from Zed Key to steal a one-point home win against Akron, Johnson finished with four points, five rebounds, two steals and two turnovers in 22:49. He didn’t record an assist or a made field goal, missing all three of his attempts from the floor.

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Three nights later against Niagara, Johnson came off the bench and scored seven points going 2 for 5 from the floor in 19:49. Most importantly for the Buckeyes, he looked a little bit more settled and a little bit more composed than he had in the opener. Those points were pounded home by film sessions, both individually and with Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon.

“Meechie’s starting to get a better feel for picking his spots in the situations he’ll be put in to read the game, to be a playmaker, to be an action-creator, to be a scorer, to do what he does best,” Pedon said. “Saw some real growth there.”

In re-watching the opening game, Johnson said he saw shots he passed up and driving opportunities he didn’t take. There were some nerves that came with his first start, Johnson said, but they were no different than the butterflies he feels before every game he plays.

“The first game was on me, myself,” he said. “Me in my own thoughts, being timid and not being aggressive and being the player they expect me to be.”

It remains to be seen exactly what type of player that will be. Johnson’s last full season of basketball was three years ago, when he was a prep sophomore. That year ended with a torn ACL, costing him his entire junior season. Fully recovered and ready for a senior year, he instead graduated early, joined the Buckeyes in December and took advantage of the extra year of eligibility afforded to all players during the COVID-19 pandemic by getting an early start on his college career.

He averaged 5.9 minutes in 17 appearances. In two games this season, he’s already nearly halfway to his minutes total last season.

“I haven’t played minutes like this since my sophomore year in high school,” Johnson said. “Every game is a learning experience.”

The belief is that with Johnson, as well as first-year guard Malaki Branham, any early struggles will eventually sort themselves out by the time Big Ten play fully rolls around in January. The best basketball for both guards, and therefore the entire team, likely won’t be realized until sometime around then.

It’s for those reasons that coach Chris Holtmann has consistently preached that this team, more than any in his five years at Ohio State, will remain a work in progress for a while. Monday night’s game against Bowling Green, a team picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches’ poll, will be another opportunity to learn, grow and figure out just what that looks like.

The same goes for Johnson.

“I tell coach, in order for me to go out there and be the best version of myself, I’ve just got to be me,” Johnson said. “Have fun and do what I can to help the team win. I felt a little timid the first game. Now I feel like I’m more comfortable and having fun.”

Winning helps with that, too.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

Bowling Green at Ohio State

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Meechie Johnson Jr. adjusting to high-level minutes at Ohio State