Ohio State basketball: Branham and Liddell make Summer League debuts
By Jacob Rhymer
Malaki Branham plays well in Summer League debut
Coming from his freshman season with the Ohio State basketball team to the NBA Summer League, Malaki Branham didn’t skip a beat. He chalked up 15 points while shooting an efficient 40% from the field, and also pulled down 3 rebounds in nearly 28 minutes of play.
Branham continued to display his elite scoring ability in his first summer league game. He got to his spot at the elbow and knocked down his lethal mid-range pull-up jumper. Branham also expanded his range and knocked down two threes in his debut.
The only thing I wish Branham would’ve done better is that he got to the free-throw line more. He’s a really good free-throw shooter and he only took one in the game. At Ohio State, he was really good at drawing fouls and making the defense pay for sending him to the free-throw line. He’s always aggressive on the offensive end, but if he gets to the line more it will show the coaching staff how aggressive he can be on offense.
During his freshman season, there were times late in games Branham had the ball in his hands. That’s another strength for Branham is that he is calm and controlled with the ball, which helps him draw fouls, get to the free-throw line, and make the right plays. If he transitions that to the NBA level he won’t have any problems.
E.J. Liddell also made his NBA Summer League debut with the Pelicans.