Former Ohio State Forward E.J. Liddell Selected By New Orleans Pelicans With No. 41 Overall Pick In 2022 NBA Draft

Liddell and Malaki Branham give the Buckeyes multiple draft picks for the first time since 2007.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Jun 23, 2022 11:39 PM EDT

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

New Orleans Pelicans

Former Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 41 overall pick in the second round of Thursday night's NBA Draft.

A four-star prospect from Belleville, Ill., the 6-foot-7 and 240-pound Liddell averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 in 92 career games with the Buckeyes from 2019-22. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and third-team All-American as a junior.

After being named a team captain ahead of the 2021-22 season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebonds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks per game to lead Ohio State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

He became just the third player in the last 30 years to average those figures over the course of a full season, joining Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan in 1996-97 and Rider’s Jason Thompson in 2007-08.

Liddell finished his career with 1,298 points, good for 32nd on the Buckeyes’ all-time scoring list, and 564 rebounds, making him the 33rd player in school history to top 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He also blocked 143 shots, the seventh-most in Ohio State history.

With former guard Malaki Branham already coming off the board at No. 20 overall to the San Antonio Spurs, this marks the first time since 2007 that the Buckeyes have had multiple players drafted.

That year, former center Greg Oden went No. 1 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers, guard Mike Conley went No. 4 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies and guard Daequan Cook went No. 21 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded him to the Miami Heat on draft night.

Liddell becomes the first Ohio State player drafted by the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans franchise and is the only former Buckeye on the roster.

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