2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[Hogmelon]

Wow Liddell available in the 2nd round....

Hollinger’s Top 75 NBA Draft prospects: Jabari Smith No. 1, plus tiers and breakdowns of 2022 class

Jun 16, 2022


17.   E.J. Liddell | 6-7 junior | PF | Ohio State
I’m a bit higher on Liddell than most, just because I can’t help thinking that he’s so darn smart that he’s going to figure this out one way or another. Watching him defend against guards is a good example; even though he’s at a speed disadvantage, he plays just close enough to stop them from walking into pull-up jumpers and forces them to dribble into his help.
For instance, here’s Wisconsin Johnny Davis trying to get a pull-up on him:

That IQ translates to other facets, such as his timing for off-ball shot blocks that made him an elite college rim protector despite being 6-7; his 35-inch standing vertical at the combine helps explain why. Seemingly every time I watch an Ohio State game, I see Liddell do some random, clever thing that you don’t normally see from college players.

Liddell added the 3-ball to his repertoire this season, knocking down 37.4 percent on decent volume, and has become a very good pull-up shooter. Despite lacking a deceptive handle, he drew a ton of fouls; his strength obviously helps here and should acquit him well against fours and fives at the NBA level.

Overall, you’d like him to be quicker laterally, especially with his first defensive slide, where now he can look stuck in concrete at times, and you question how much of his offensive game translates to the next level. Nonetheless, I’m buying him as a 3-and-D combo forward who can be effective in a variety of lineups.