Cavs 2022 NBA Draft Notebook: E.J. Liddell Scouting Report

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E.J. Liddell, Ohio State Buckeyes. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

With the 2022 NBA Draft fast approaching on June 23, most teams in the league are starting to zero in on the prospects they like.

For the last couple of weeks we’ve had the chance to get a small glimpse from guys like AJ Griffin, Johnny Davis, and Malaki Branham. Still, the prospects available to the Cleveland Cavaliers will be determined by who the teams ahead of them select; Cleveland is currently set to draft at #14, in the first round, that is. With so many wings being available, it’s easy to overlook a couple of the best players in college basketball last season.

One prospect who had a great year, and who played his college hoops relatively close to Cleveland, is forward E.J. Liddell from Ohio State. The 6’7″ forward is a bit of a “tweener” in the 2022 draft, with his role in the NBA not really defined. He shot 49% from the field for the Buckeyes while also knocking down 37% of his three-point attempts. He was also a candidate to win the Big Ten Player of the Year, which ended up going to Johnny Davis from Wisconsin.

With the lineups that the Cavs used this past season, there’s reason to believe that Liddell would be a great fit for them at the wing. Cleveland used Lauri Markkanen at the three regularly this season, and they were very effective with that lineup when Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were healthy alongside Markkanen.

Liddell’s most natural position in the NBA will likely be at the four, but his offensive arsenal has enough firepower to be productive at the three as well.