Creating the Cavaliers’ perfect 2022 NBA Draft pick

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E.J. Liddell, Ohio State Buckeyes. Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images /

E.J. Liddell’s brain (basketball IQ)

As much as I am enjoying watching Draymond Green disappoint in the NBA Finals, it also shows how big a piece he was in the Golden State Warriors’ title runs. While former Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell isn’t going to be the defensive field general Green was in his prime, his basketball IQ leaves a lot of reason to believe he will make more of an instant impact on a contender next year, as opposed to some of the younger prospects in this draft.

A year ago in Santa Barbara, California, he was deciding whether or not to return to Ohio State in 2021-2022 or enter the draft. He chose to hone his skills in Columbus for one more season, and he’s now seen as a guy who won’t likely make it past 25 at the draft.

Liddell has incredible anticipation and a smart defensive mind. How else does a 6’7″ bulky forward average 2.5 blocks per game in one of the best conferences in college basketball? He’s always in the right spot, and he was the leader of the defense in Columbus. On top of that, he never settled for being a dominant mid-range player, with some ability to bump and bruise down low. Every offseason he took what scouts/coaches seemingly told him and got better. Nearly all of his statistics improved from his freshman year to his final year in 2021-2022.

His consistency at the college level also represents how well he sees the basketball court. He’s not going to “wow” you with dazzling passes, but he’ll always make the right pass or the extra pass. On top of that, being able to process defenses well from all three levels, will bode well for him in the NBA. Right now it’s clear that Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are the guys who are the last line of defense for the Cavaliers. Still, adding a player with the basketball IQ of Liddell, they’ll add a George Washington-like general to be the eyes and ears of the team on the court.

With that being said, if he does end up in Cleveland, we may have to start talking about the red flag that is his Marvel movie rankings. On a positive note, of sorts, Liddell’s Marvel movie rankings were based on what he liked the best, not what were objectively the best movies. Yeah, yeah. I’m still skeptical of that.