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Ohio State Basketball: E.J. Liddell’s fit with New Orleans

By Ryan Stano

Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) reacts after dunking to tie the score and send the game to overtime during Monday's NCAA Division I basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena in Columbus, Oh., on February 21, 2022. The Buckeyes won the game 80-69 in overtime.Ceb Osumbk 0220 Bjp 05
Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) reacts after dunking to tie the score and send the game to overtime during Monday's NCAA Division I basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena in Columbus, Oh., on February 21, 2022. The Buckeyes won the game 80-69 in overtime.Ceb Osumbk 0220 Bjp 05 /
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The Ohio State basketball team was hoping to get two first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, they only got one because E.J. Liddell slid down into the second round. In fact, he slid all the way down to 41st overall where he was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Liddell has a team and that’s all that matters. The former Buckeye may not start his NBA career the way he wanted, but he still can prove everyone wrong. All he has to do is keep working hard like everyone knows that he does. That’s the biggest thing he needs to do.

As far as the fit goes in New Orleans, Liddell is going to a young team that has a lot of pieces in place. They have a young All-Star in Brandon Ingram and a generational talent in Zion Williamson. That is, when Williamson is healthy, which hasn’t been a lot of the time.

Liddell projects as a guy who can come in off the bench and do some good things in limited minutes. He can play 15-20 minutes off the bench and give the Pelicans some solid offense and good shot-blocking as well. He is NBA-ready now and won’t need hand holding early in the year.

I was surprised that Liddell kept sliding as low as he did, but he has a decent situation in New Orleans. He is on a competitive team that has a chance to compete for a playoff spot. He just has to fill his role and try not to do too much early on as a rookie.

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Liddell could be going to a much worse situation than the one he finds himself in. He has a shot to be a solid pro for the next 10 years or so if he can stay healthy. He’s not going to be a superstar, but he can still make a lot of money in this league by being a valuable role guy.

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