Milwaukee Bucks 2022 NBA Draft Scouting Report: E.J. Liddell

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 12 (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 12 (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State Buckeyes: E.J. Liddell
COLUMBUS, OHIO – JANUARY 16 (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Milwaukee Bucks Draft Scouting Report: E.J. Liddell – Weaknesses

Burst/Athleticism

Although Liddell is very strong and powerful, he isn’t the most athletic guy and he doesn’t have a ton of burst or quickness. As a result, he can struggle to create separation offensively in isolation. His lack of a quick first step makes it difficult for him to blow past anyone and get to the rim on his own. He can be a bit too reliant on strength, and in the NBA, everyone is stronger and quicker, so he may struggle doing that at the next level.

Decision Making

This isn’t a major problem for Liddell, but he occasionally can get tunnel vision and force things a bit instead of making the right play. Some of this is due to his role at Ohio State and how much he needed to score, but it is still something he could improve. He isn’t the greatest ball handler and finished the season with basically the same amount of turnovers (77) as assists (80), so his overall decision making offensively could be better.

Will His Shooting Translate?

As mentioned earlier, Liddell’s numbers shooting the ball this past season were good, and that’s ultimately what really matters. But to be nitpicky, his form isn’t the greatest and his shot can come off flat (think Draymond Green), so there are questions about how legit his shot actually is. He was just a 30 percent three-point shooter his first two years of college combined before improving to 37 percent last season, so is it legit?