In his second Summer League game against Atlanta on Monday, EJ Liddell was out injured in the third quarter. And as the replays could unfortunately suggest, the Pelicans rookie broke the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. Terrible news for the one who was considered one of the probable steals of the 2022 Draft.
There are images that we would rather never have to see and the terrible injury of EJ Liddell, at the dawn of a more than promising career, is one of them. For his debut on the NBA courts during the Summer League, pick number 41 of this 2022 vintage must convince if he wants to be able to win a contract with New Orleans. We are therefore in the second quarter of the second game of the Pels and the strong winger is determined to do better than during his first appearance in the colors of the franchise (2 points and 4 rebounds at 1/6 shooting). There are therefore eight minutes left to play before half-time when, catching as best he can a bad alley-oop pass on the counter-attack, Liddell lands badly and instantly holds his right knee while he is on the ground. After a few seconds of floating where no one really seems to react, the latter is picked up by his teammates and limps towards the bench, where the team doctors take care of him. First alert. Quickly declared fit to return to the field, post 4 will be back at the start of the third quarter. A decision that will have serious consequences.
No question our guy comes back stronger than ever. Book it. https://t.co/SbTkp3mTah
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) July 12, 2022
After only a few minutes (6:52 left to play), a cry of pain crosses the room: Liddell is again on the ground and is holding the same knee. As he tried to stand out on the left wing, his right leg crashed into the ground and ended up bending under the pressure of the man’s 110 kg. The bending is much too brutal and the same leg will completely get off-axis… until it lets go. This time, EJ can’t get up. As a sign, the head coach of the Pelicans Willie Green, who was at the same time at the microphone of ESPN, is cut off by the commentators. A dead silence reigns in the room because the seconds pass and the pain does not leave the face of the young man. After a good minute spent on the ground with the doctors, the latter is picked up and carried by his teammates to the locker room. He can’t put his foot down. We had to wait until that night to learn that it was a ruptured ACL. The news is terrible for such a young player, whose first steps in the League will be postponed.
Oh purée… terrible.
EJ Liddell, drafted three weeks ago and who played with the Pelicans last night… the balance sheet fell: rupture of the cruciate ligaments in the right knee.End of the season while your first pro season and your dream has not started… courage… ???? https://t.co/LAGanP0Sk5
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) July 12, 2022
Terrible yes because EJ Liddell was not just a rotation player in the NCAA. During his last year at Ohio State, as a junior, he was named to the All-American third-team, the All-Big Ten first team and the All-Big Ten defensive first team. Last season, the prospect recorded 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 blocks on average at 49% shooting including 37.4% parking and 76.5% throwing in 33 minutes (32 games played). The statistical production is more than interesting, as is the profile of the man because, if the latter alternated between positions 4 and 5 (with a preference as a strong winger), he actually measures “only” 2m01. The strength of the 21-year-old kid? His power and his mobility. Smaller but also stronger (110 kg of muscles as a reminder) than his direct opponents, EJ Liddell did not hesitate to play with his back to the basket, having the ability to finish under the circle as well as to take a turnaround fadeaway. Add to that an already very correct shot (see the percentages), an excellent sense of timing on the rebound and on the block, and a kangaroo jump which allows him to be an excellent hoop protector: you have a prospect that the staff of the Pelicans did not hesitate to select, not imagining that he could fall to their pick 41.
We will therefore have to wait before we can again take advantage of the rookie of the Pelicans, who also lost the number 8 of the Draft, Dyson Daniels, injured in the ankle and who will probably not play again in the next few days. The bad luck does not leave NOLA on this Summer League 2022.
Source texte : ESPN