Former Buckeye E.J. Liddell Looking For A Comeback With Hawks

The former Ohio State Hoops star suffered a devastating injury with the New Orleans Pelicans. He has since recovered, finds himself with a new NBA team and performed well in the Summer League.

Nov 8, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell (32) dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves forward Troy Brown Jr. (23) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes have several former basketball players competing in the NBA Summer League and succeeding. Jamison Battle, Duane Washington Jr. and Brice Sensabaugh are a few of those players. Unfortunately for Sensabaugh, it was just reported that he will miss the rest of Summer League with a finger injury. An injury in Summer League is all too familiar for one former Buckeye. This player is looking for a new opportunity and doing his best to shine in this year's Summer League.

That would be E.J. Liddell. The 6'6" forward was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. At the time, it was reported that the organization was thrilled that Liddell fell to them in the second round.

Then in a Summer League game, Liddell tore his ACL in his right knee and missed his entire rookie season. Upon his return to the team last year, the Pelicans barely used the former Ohio State star, who averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in his final college season. Liddell only appeared in eight games for the Pelicans and averaged 2.9 minutes in those appearances. By signing him to a two-way contract, though, Liddell played in 26 games with the organization's G-League affiliate the Birmingham Squadron. He averaged 17.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

Oct 17, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward E.J. Liddell (32) dribbles against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

In an attempt to improve their roster for the next season, the Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray earlier in July. The Atlanta Hawks received Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., a 2025 first from the Lakers, a 2027 first from either the Bucks or Pelicans, Cody Zeller as a sign and trade and E.J. Liddell.

Liddell now finds himself with a fresh start on a rebuilding team, which could be good for his chances of seeing valuable NBA minutes. His game is probably best suited to be a small forward, but in "small ball" situations, he could easily align at power forward. Liddell plays bigger than his height and that has been evident since before his time at Ohio State.

In the Hawks' last Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, Liddell scored 22 points off the bench which led all scorers in the game. After nearly leading the Hawks to a win in a close game against the Spurs, it will be interesting to see if Liddell gets to start against the Lakers on Wednesday.

If Liddell stays healthy and keeps performing at a high level, then Atlanta may have landed a steal in the Murray trade. Liddell can offer some of what the Hawks lost with Saddiq Bey signing with the Washington Wizards in free agency.