Ohio State basketball: Latest on Liddell and Washington

Will E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington come back to the Ohio State basketball team? Or will they decide to go pro?

The Ohio State basketball program is waiting on the decision of its two best players from a year ago to make a decision about their futures. Both E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington have put their names into the 2021 NBA Draft while retaining their eligibility.

Both of them should have gotten most of their information on what the NBA thinks of them by now. Coach Chris Holtmann has been open about him giving both players honest feedback and advice on the state of their games and what the NBA is looking for.

Both players were key for the Buckeyes in the 2020 season. Washington was the leading scorer by .2 points over Liddell. They were the players that Holtmann leaned on when things got tough. He obviously would love to have them back, but wants them to do what’s best for them.

What is best for them is for them to return to Columbus. Based on what I’ve heard and seen across the NBA, both players are likely to go undrafted. They need to come back to refine their games before they are ready to go to the next level.

Both players need to improve their three-point shooting. Washington specifically needs to increase his shooting efficiency across the board. He only shot 41% from the field in 2020 while shooting 37% from behind the arc. If he can shoot 45% from the field and 40% from deep, he has an NBA future.

Liddell needs to improve his ballhandling and quickness before he is ready to move to the next level. If he can prove he can defend opposing power forwards, his ability to stretch the floor could be very valuable in the NBA.

The NBA Draft isn’t until the end of July, so we likely won’t know a final decision from these guys until then. They have until after the Draft to decide on their futures.