2022 NBA Draft Breakdown - E.J. Liddell
Went back to school to work on his game and improved his stock. Where does E.J. Liddell fit into this draft?
At the end of the pre-draft period, all NBA Draft early entrants must make a decision about their future. Should players stay in the draft that only has 60 total spots and over 100 qualified players but for a chance at a huge salary? Or should players go back to school and earn some money under the new NIL (Names, Image and Likeness) deals while improving their stock, but faced with more uncertainty? The answer differs on the person, but one guy who definitely took scouts’ advice to heart in the last draft cycle was Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell, someone who went back and improved virtually every facet of his game.
In his sophomore season, Liddell was an enticing prospect when he entered the 2021 NBA Draft as an early entrant, but he needed to work on a few parts of his game before making that kind of jump. Lidell went back to school and improved his numbers across the board in his junior season, averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.2 stocks and shot 54% from the floor, 37.4% from deep and 76.5% from the free-throw line. Every single one of those numbers was an improvement from last year.
In the age of versatile forwards, Liddell should be the kind of guy that plays in the league for a long time, able to guard up or down a position. You can tell that the game really slowed down for Liddell when he went back to school, he became much more aware and overall smarter as a defender. He gets into his rotations well, able to go out on the perimeter and guard at the rim. Liddell gets compared to this year’s rendition of Grant Williams, a small-ball five that can hit threes at an elite clip, can guard the rim and can go out on the perimeter — that is definitely fair. Liddell’s defensive versatility will take him far.
On the perimeter, Liddell uses his feet and strength well, capable of using his long wingspan to disrupt one-on-one drives.
Liddell projects as a do-it-all forward on offense that enticingly increased his range this last season and improved his shot form and clip. He can score on the interior, shoot the ball and can make plays, the latter of which being the swing skill that takes Liddell into the first round for me. As a passer, Liddell has the potential to run the floor in the halfcourt and as an anchor in the post that can kick out to shooters and cutters. As a three-point shooter, Liddell isn’t a creator, but is a strong catch-and-shoot threat and knows when to get out to the arc.
There aren’t many holes in Liddell’s game even though he’s lacking the upside to be considered in the lottery. The nitpicky concern for me is about the sustainability of his three-point shot, considering how much of a non-shooter Liddell was before this past season. His touch is pretty off in general, around the rim or otherwise, so I don’t trust the shot to come around right away.
In all, I’m a big fan of Liddell’s and I believe his range starts in the 20s. I would feel comfortable as a contender adding someone of that defensive caliber to my locker room and trusting some of the shortcomings to come along down the road to culminate in a valuable role player on a championship-winning team.