His effective field goal percentage boosted from 47.7% to 51.5% to 54.6%. Liddell's rebounds climbed from 3.8 to 6.7 to 7.9 per game. He went from 6.7 points per game to 16.2 to 19.4 in his three years at OSU. That extra year, which amounted to playing three seasons of college basketball, turned out to be a fantastic decision. Liddell played himself into first-round value this past season. Pretty fluid." Going back to school for extra year has become undervalued But for me, every single conversation centered around what was ultimately best for E.J., and that was fluid this time last year. We all know kids want to be NBA players as soon as they can. What's best for you? And real conversations with his mom and his dad and you don't have to feel like you're dancing around or walking on eggshells. You can have real conversations with kids like E.J. "It sets you up to be able to have real conversations. "He's one of the best kids I've ever coached, so you begin with the fact he's smart, he's perceptive, he's an unbelievable, hell of a kid," Holtmann said. But Liddell isn't wired like most others.
Most players would see it the opposite way. What made me decide to go back to school? I felt like I was settling if I left." "But I was told my shot wasn't the best, I needed to continue play better defense and be in a lot better shape. "If I stayed in I would have made a team and might have been drafted, might have been picked in the second round," Liddell told CBS Sports.
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After an inconsistent showing at G League camp, he felt like he was a year away from being who he wanted to be as a college player and a pro prospect. With Washington gone, Liddell's stay-or-go decision meant as much to Ohio State's 2021-22 prospects as nearly any other player who was debating leaving school.įor Liddell, it turned out to be hardly a tough decision at all. The whispers about Liddell's then-teammate, Duane Washington, leaving OSU early to chase the NBA wound up being true. He was coming off a good sophomore season, one that ended in stunning disappointment with a loss in the first round to No. Realistically, Liddell was a fringe NBA pick one year ago. But he was able to parse what was true, what was reality and what was just … talk." "People told him, 'Hey, you're going to hurt your draft stock by coming back.' He heard that from some people. "He also was a first team all-league guy year, and there was a thought: What more can you do?" Holtmann told CBS Sports. Ageism has become a dominant element in draft evaluations. The younger you are, the better you can be. A year ago, at 20 years old, Liddell heard that leaving because of his age would be a big reason - a positive factor - and one that would help him get drafted. Holtmann didn't press his best player, didn't try to sway his thinking one way or the other. His college coach, Chris Holtmann, flew out to see him in Santa Barbara, California, in the spring of 2021 when Liddell was going through workouts and trying to determine if he was finished playing for Ohio State. Thanks to the agents and actors who make the NBA machine daunting (by design) to navigate, the messages to Liddell were as mixed as his feelings about going through the pre-draft process to begin with. It would be best if he left college, some said. The Ohio State star was also told this was his moment to maximize. Liddell was told he was too heavy, too slow, undersized and probably not ready for the NBA.
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