Ohio State basketball: Liddell, Branham try to increase draft stock

Two former members of the Ohio State basketball team are in Chicago this week at the NBA Combine. Both E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham are three trying to increase their draft stock about a month in advance of the NBA Draft that will be held in late June.

Neither player participated in scrimmages but did do individual Pro Day testing. Both of them have a chance to be picked in the lottery. Branham has the higher ceiling between the two players, but Liddell is the most NBA-ready now. Both players should be solid at the next level.

I think Branham will end up getting drafted higher than Liddell simply because of that higher ceiling factor. The NBA is a league that is always trying to hit home runs on draft picks. Teams would rather take a big swing on a player and miss than take someone who doesn’t have a chance to develop into a superstar.

Liddell doesn’t have a chance to be a superstar at the next level, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a long NBA career. I could see him being a starter for a good team for 10 years at the next level. He’s smart, knows his game, and can switch onto multiple players on defense.

Branham does have that superstar potential. If Branham can improve his passing and show that his three-point shooting is for real, he could be an excellent player in the NBA. Most mock drafts I’ve seen have him being taken at the end of the lottery by Cleveland.

After doing testing in Chicago, I’m not sure either player can improve their draft stock a ton. But it’s about who you get drafted to in the NBA, not how high. The right fit matters way more than being a high draft pick. Both of these guys understand that.