At this summer's 2022 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs held three first-round picks, two of which were from the Celtics and raptors. However, with the two teams winning, the two draft picks have fallen to the end of the first round. It is difficult to select high-talented potential stocks in this area, and looking for some instant combat that can supplement the shortcomings of the lineup and increase the depth of the bench may be a good choice, after all, the Silver and Black Legion already has too many "young teeth" that need to be carefully cultivated for a long time, and the appropriate introduction of one or two initially formed "mature men" may make the team have a better chemistry, just like the Memphis Grizzlies.
One option at the end of the first round was Ohio State's interior lineman EJ Liddell, a short, athletic man from Illinois who tested the waters of training camp before last summer's draft and was judged to be not stable enough to shoot and defend enough. After another year of tempering, Liddell has improved a lot in all aspects of his body and technique, especially the shortcomings mentioned in the training camp. He has been very consistent throughout the season, omnipotent on the court, leading the team in many statistics such as points, rebounds and blocks, and becoming the deserved leader of the Horse Chestnuts. Here are his key stats for 32 games this season:
19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 0.6 steals
49 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 76.5 percent from the free throw line.
Net efficiency value 30.5, offensive efficiency value 120.6, defensive efficiency value 100.0
In his three college seasons, Liddell improved every season, with usage rates ranging from 22.6 percent in his freshman year to 27.8 percent in his sophomore year to a staggering 30.5 percent this season, and his role on the team was getting heavier. With the continuous growth of usage and playing time, his scores, rebounds, assists and blocks and other data have risen, and more importantly, the increase in production has not affected efficiency, and his shooting rate and various high-level data have steadily increased. This fully illustrates his continuous evolution and refinement at the physical and technical levels.
A short 6'7 (2.01m) tall inner lineman, Liddell has a broad shoulder and a strong body of 240 pounds (108 kg). In the rookie season, he can only rely on inside hand-to-hand combat, occasionally mid-range to get points, and only hit 5 three-pointers throughout the season. However, with hard training, he has improved in three-point shooting every season, and has trained a beautiful fixed-point shooting technique and smooth shooting action. By the time of the season, he's shot 37.4 percent from three-point range, averaging 1.4 shots per game, making him a threat to stability beyond the three-point line.
Liddell did not indulge in outside wave shooting because he had the ability to shoot long distances, but instead made better use of the opportunity that defenders had to follow the outside line, relying on his own dribbling to complete the emergency stop jump shot or break through the basket, the basket and the middle distance still accounted for a large proportion of his shots, and the shooting rate was further improved. Although all opponents know that he is the source of the Horse Chestnuts' scoring, the core of the attack, and the focus on him, it is still difficult to limit his play.
With a strong body and excellent strength, Liddell also has a good performance in the college arena, coming to the NBA, facing a taller and stronger opponent, he obviously needs to adjust his shooting choices, more choices to face the basket and block the offense. To continue scoring steadily, Liddell needs to improve his ball possession and the speed of the first step. By NBA standards, his possession is still a bit loose, which will limit his ability to create shots and break chances.
Despite being at the heart of the team's offense, Liddell's eyes are not only baskets, he is happy to pass the ball, and he also has good passing ability, especially outside the interior. His decision-making ability also needs to be improved, sometimes with a narrow field of vision, facing the crowded basket overlord hard to bow, missing the opportunity to give the ball to the empty teammate. This may have something to do with his position on the team, the Horse Chestnuts need his scoring, and even some unreasonable shots, after entering the NBA, his duties and positioning will definitely change, which may be more conducive to optimizing his shooting choices and fully tapping the potential of the organization. He won't be the team's main playmaker, but he'll be a quality passer, especially in blocking offense and an open offensive system.
Due to the lack of interior long-term players, Since the sophomore season, Liddell has become the pillar of the team's interior defense, in fact, the No. 5 position. Although he is only 6 feet 7, his weight and muscles give him the capital to fight with the big guys on the inside, and the flexible footsteps that are not commensurate with his body also allow him to block in front of his opponents at any time. Whether it's facing giants like Illinois' big center Kofi Coburn or an all-around striker like Duke's Paul Banquero, Liddell has been very good defensively. Going into the NBA, he may be better suited to defending the No. 4 position and some heavy forwards. If placed against a small, agile striker or a fast long man, he may get into trouble and be defeated by his opponent using speed and dribbling.
Liddell's interior defense may be more trustworthy than the outside defense, he has done a good job of assisting on the weak side and guarding the basket, has a clear mind, is good at reading the game and grasping the timing, and this season he has sent 2.6 blocks, including for behemoths like Coburn. Against Duke, he not only limited Ban kairo in single defense, but was also able to give support to teammates in other positions.
This season, the Spurs have lined up more of the big and four small lineups on the court, and there is no pure No. 4 position (both in terms of height and technical characteristics). Neither Kelden Johnson nor Bates Diop can give Peltel and Collins enough help in rebounding protection and interior defense. These two are exactly what Liddle is good at, and his comprehensive offensive skills inside and out allow him to be on the court with a center like Pelter or as a small center in rotation. Of course, Limited by height and athleticism, Liddell's ceiling is limited, but being able to get a combination of PJ Washington (reminding me of the deal rumors about Peltel before the trade deadline) and Xavier Tillman could be a better than expected move for the Spurs' current top-heavy roster, especially for those on the outside.
(Text/Mu Yan 1199)