Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell declares for NBA draft

Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell will be hiring an agent and entering 2022 NBA Draft, the junior announced (via Twitter). He’s currently No. 18 on ESPN’s top 100 prospects list.

The 6’7″ forward averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 blocks on .490/.374/.765 shooting this season for the Buckeyes (32 games, 33.2 minutes per contest). He helped lead OSU to a 20-12 record and a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they were toppled in the second round by Villanova.

Liddell tested the draft waters last season after a breakout sophomore campaign, but ultimately decided to go back to school. The decision paid off, as he improved his numbers in nearly every statistical category and boosted his draft stock in the process — he’s likely to be a first-round pick this time around.

In his draft profile for The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor states that Lidell went back to school to improve his shooting and perimeter defense, and succeeded on both counts. He’s strong at 240 pounds and is able to switch across multiple positions defensively.

On offense, Liddell is a skilled post player, good passer, and solid spot-up shooter, but needs to improve his ball-handling and decision-making for the NBA, according to O’Connor.