LAS VEGAS - Maybe it’s just a coincidence.
E.J. Liddell was back in the same building where his NBA career took a major detour in 2022. This time, he was getting a second chance with the opposition.
The forward tore his ACL in the third quarter of a matchup between the Pelicans and the Hawks during the 2022 NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV. The Pelicans ruled him out indefinitely and he made his NBA debut last October, the first of eight games with the team last season.
“I mean, two full years, I’m back in the same building and I’m on the team I hurt myself against and it’s just like, everything happens for a reason,” Liddell said after a 79-76 loss to the Spurs Sunday in the NBA summer league. “It’s already written. So me being right here in my shoes right now, it was already written. So I’m just doing my part and controlling what I can control.”
The Hawks acquired the 23-year-old forward in the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans this offseason. The Pelicans drafted the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Liddell out of Ohio State in 2022 in the second round (No. 41 overall).
Liddell made a defensive impact against the Spurs.
Halfway into the third quarter, Liddell strung together a strong defensive sequence. Spurs forward Yauhen Massalski tried to post him up but the Hawks forward didn’t yield. It forced Massalski to make an extra pass out to a teammate for a 3-pointer, which hit the rim.
The Spurs got the offensive rebound and rotated the ball but Liddell kept taking up space. As the ball got back to the paint, he moved in, got vertical and forced Spurs wing Sidy Cissoko to miss a hook shot.
Liddell didn’t just force missed shots. He straight-up denied some of the Spurs looks at the basket with four blocked shots in 27 minutes.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Spurs forward Donovan Williams dribbled into the paint before winding up to slam a dunk. Liddell anticipated the move and stuffed the attempt.
Williams attempted to dunk on Liddell two minutes into the fourth quarter and met the same exact result.
“I know a lot of y’all probably have seen me in college, but I led the Big 10 in blocks,” Liddell said. “So, that ain’t nothing new to me. So I’m a rim protector, even though I’m not the tallest guy, but I’m always gonna be there.”
It’s part of how he wants to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Liddell can do more. He added 22 points and five rebounds to go with four blocks in the game.
“I think as far as Summer League is concerned, he connects us,” Hawks summer league coach Ronald Nored said. “He does small things. I mean, tonight, it showed up in the stats because he was getting to the free-throw line. I think he shot 10 free throws. But he connects us with his ball movement. The ball found him back because he moves the ball for other guys. And that’s what we want to see offensively.”
Liddell had plenty of hustle plays that didn’t show up on the box score as well, including some deflections and saves on the sideline to net extra possessions.
Liddell knows that having that hustle attitude is what will help earn him chances in the NBA. He looks at the trade that brought him to the Hawks as another opportunity to show that he can make an impact.
The Hawks are 0-2 in summer league. They play the next of their four scheduled games on Wednesday against the Lakers.
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