Ohio State basketball: E.J. Liddell taken 41st by Pelicans

The Ohio State basketball team was expected to have two first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. Malaki Branham heard his name called after being taken 20th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. After that, it was expected that E.J. Liddell would be taken shortly after.

That ended up not being the case. In fact, Liddell wasn’t taken in the first round at all. He slid all the way to the second round despite being the Buckeyes’ best player the last two seasons. It doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, but NBA teams were scared off for some reason.

In the end, Liddell was finally scooped up by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 41st pick in the Draft. It took over three hours for Liddell’s wait to be over. To be honest, I’m shocked it took him that long to be taken. I thought for sure he was going in the first round.

As far as his fit in New Orleans is concerned, he has a chance to play right away, especially depending on the health of Zion Williamson. If he still can’t play, Liddell has a chance to earn some playing time off the bench. He won’t start, but he can contribute right away.

I think Liddell will ultimately be a solid pro. He won’t be a superstar at the next level, but I think he’ll end up being someone who sticks in the league for a while because he knows what it takes to play winning basketball.

This may not have been the start that he wanted to his NBA career, but this will certainly put a chip on Liddell’s shoulder.