LAS VEGAS – In his first 2023 NBA Summer League game at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, E.J. Liddell made a point of going to the exact spot where one of his worst memories took place.
One year ago, in that gym, Liddell tore the ACL in his right knee, bringing an end to his rookie season before it even started. New Orleans had selected Liddell with the 41st pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and many within the organization considered it a steal to get a player with his talent midway through the second round. Instead of contributing in the NBA, Liddell spent his first year as a pro rebuilding the strength in his knee and regaining his confidence on the court.
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It all culminated with him putting a uniform on once again for the first time on Thursday and standing on the right wing just inside the 3-point line, the exact place on the court where his yearlong journey began.
It was an emotional moment for Liddell before he took the court, one he had been dreaming about since the last time he was in Las Vegas.
“I ran by the spot where it happened and kind of reflected on what the past year has been like. I just said a prayer and told myself that the outcome was already written. I’ve just got to go out there and accept what comes next,” Liddell said. “It all felt surreal once the game started and I was moving around. But, once I got my first basket, it really settled me down. From there, everything felt really natural.
“I really loved how normal everything felt when I was out there. It felt like I was getting back to who I truly am.”
The sooner Liddell gets back to feeling like himself, the better for the Pelicans. New Orleans is in need of frontcourt depth after losing Jaxson Hayes – who recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers – and Willy Hernangómez to free agency. There’s a good chance the Pelicans end up leaning on Liddell quite a bit to fill in spot minutes at power forward or center to complement veteran bigs such as Jonas Valančiūnas, Larry Nance Jr. and free-agent signee Cody Zeller.
Liddell doesn’t have the frame to play full-time minutes at center just yet (6-foot-6, 240 pounds), but there’s great belief within the Pelicans organization that he can fill in and make an impact on defense from just about any frontcourt position. It’s a big reason the team signed him to a two-way contract last October despite his injury, and it’s why the Pelicans converted that into a three-year, $6.2 million contract last week, per The Athletic’sShams Charania.
The New Orleans Pelicans are signing forward EJ Liddell to a new three-year, $6.2 million deal, with a team option in the third season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Liddell was on a two-way contract after suffering a torn ACL in summer league last summer.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2023
In his return to Summer League, Liddell only had nine points in 20 minutes but was already making savvy plays on the defensive end and quarterbacking the defense with his vocal presence. Pelicans assistant Casey Hill, who is serving as the team’s head coach in Summer League, said Liddell will provide some skills that were lacking on last year’s roster once he’s fully healthy.
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“Given our roster, the opportunities may be sporadic. But when he does get an opportunity, what we believe he can do, he brings something no one else does (for us),” Hill said. “He makes quick decisions. He’s very fluid. I’d say he’s somewhat like Larry (Nance Jr.). There’s some stuff he does outside of what Larry does. He’s just that type of guy who can guard multiple positions. He can play the four (or) the five. We don’t have a lot of guys who can do that outside of Larry. So, him being able to do that will be huge for us.”
The progress will be slow for Liddell, as he remains on a minutes restriction throughout the rest of the Summer League. But he’s remained optimistic about the work he’s done to get to this point and how it’s helped him become a better player.
Liddell recently spoke with The Athletic about his journey coming back from the torn ACL and what he hopes to provide once he’s back to 100 percent again.
GO DEEPERWhat the New Orleans Pelicans are getting in Ohio State star E.J. LiddellWhat do you remember about that day a year ago when you tore your ACL at the Las Vegas Summer League?
I was really excited to come in and prove I could play at this level. Succeeding in Summer League is all about playing hard and playing with your teammates. I felt like I did that in my first game last year, even though I didn’t touch the ball. In that second game, I remember feeling a little better. I knocked down two straight buckets. The coaches were calling plays for me. Then, I just took a wrong step and hurt my knee.
It was just an unfortunate event. But, when I went back to my room, I tried to maintain a positive attitude. They told me it was an ACL, and the first thing I thought was, “OK, I can bounce back from this. It’s been done before.” After surgery, I dealt with some really tough days. There was a lot of pain, some sleepless nights. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever dealt with. But I just kept thinking about how good it would feel once I was back. And it helped because so many people in my family and people I knew from Ohio State who reached out and gave me encouraging words.
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It was all about building. Stacking those days and appreciating the little victories. I remember seeing my quad lose muscle. But I also saw when the muscle came back day by day. And that’s what it was all about. Just improving a little bit every day.
You mentioned all the people who reached out to you during that time. What was some of the best advice you got about bouncing back from an injury like this?
People kept reminding me that I could’ve been in a much worse position. Honestly, it turned out to be a great situation for me. Of course, I wanted to play, but I was fortunate enough to be with a team that kept me on a two-way (contract). I got to be in the program every day. I traveled with the team. The medical staff helped me progress through every step of the process. It really turned out to be a blessing that I landed with a team like this that believed in me as much as they did.
Things are always tenuous for guys who get drafted in the second round. That unease had to be even worse after sustaining such a serious injury. How much did it help to know they wanted to keep you around the team and invest in making sure you’d get back to this point?
It meant the world. I don’t know how many people get this opportunity. I’m embracing it. I wanted to return their belief in me by making sure I was on time every day. Making sure I was doing things the right way. Making sure I did all the little things. I really learned to enjoy the grind and the mental challenge you’ve got to take on every single day. But having the team behind me – the staff, my teammates, my coaches – made everything a lot easier.
What’s been the key to staying present during the rehab process and not getting impatient as those small victories stack up?
My whole goal was to never think too far into the future. Anytime I worry about tomorrow, I’m not doing enough to get the most out of today. That’s the other part: you can’t let a day go by without making some type of improvement. Whether it’s mentally, physically or anything else, you’ve always got to keep marching forward. I know I’m better today than I was yesterday. Hopefully, next month I’ll be much better than I am this month. The goal is to be fully cleared once training camp comes around. I haven’t reached the finish line yet, but I’ve come a long way. I’m just thankful I get to go out there and play the game I love again.
What do you remember about the time when you finally started testing the knee for the first time – taking bumps, falling down, exploding off of it. How long did it take for you to fully trust it again?
It was really big for me to just fall in love with the game again. I didn’t touch a basketball for months after I hurt my knee. It took a while for me to kind of mentally get over that I couldn’t be on the court. Man, I wanted to be out there so bad. But once the rehab process started ramping up and I was able to get on the court again, I poured everything into doing that the right way.
Once I finally got cleared for contact and I was able to play 1-on-1 (or) 3-on-3, it was nerve-racking. The first time I was out there, I was kind of scared to do a move or really take a bump. But, once I did it, I was like, “OK, I feel all right. I can do that again.”
It was all about building that trust back up in myself and that belief in myself. The trainers kept telling me that the hard part was over once I was cleared to get back on the court. Now, it’s all about getting over those mental hurdles. This is the fun part.
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You’ve mentioned before how much Larry (Nance) has supported you since you joined the team. Casey (Hill) has said he sees a lot of Larry’s game in what you can do on the court. How has Larry helped you over the past year?
Larry also injured his ACL at one point, and we’ve talked about what it took for him to come back from that. Being around him, he has a lot of knowledge to share because he’s been in the league a long time. He’s been on different teams, and he’s already experienced a lot. I can’t even put into words how much he’s taught me. It’s too much (laughs).
He just always brings positive energy. He approaches the game the right way. He interacts with people really well. That’s something I’m trying to improve. He can impact the game and his teammates in so many ways that don’t come across on a box score or in a highlight package. He’s always sharing knowledge with me about what it takes to do that consistently.
After everything you’ve experienced over the past year, what was it like when you got the phone call and the team informed you they were taking you off the two-way contract and putting you on the main roster?
Man, I felt so blessed. It felt like all that hard work was paying off. They told me how happy they were about my approach during the recovery process, and that meant everything to me. I’m just going to keep embracing this opportunity. Keep showing up and doing what I’ve got to do everyday. I’ve just got to keep being me, and it’s great to know they appreciate me for being me. It means the world.
For people who may be unfamiliar with your game, what are you hoping to add to the team once you’re healthy and ready to go in the regular season?
I just want to be the guy who can fill in wherever I’m needed. I can play a few different positions. I take pride in being able to defend anywhere on the court. I’m unselfish. I’ve been able to improve my jumper over time. My mom has been telling me, “You’re not going to be Big 10 Player of the Year from Day 1. You’ve got to show you can do all the little things to help win.” That’s the focus for me: doing all the dirty work and defending at a high level.
I feel like I’ve been able to get stronger this summer. That’ll be important for me so I can prove I can defend bigger players. I want to show I can play at the four or at the five. To do that, you’ve got to hold your ground and be smart. That’s going to be big for me in Vegas to show I can do that.
It’s only been a month since you’ve been cleared to play 5-on-5, so you’re going to remain on a minutes restriction throughout the Summer League. The hope is that number will go up after three or four games. But you probably won’t be playing more than 25 minutes in any of these games. What’s the key to making sure your impact is still felt even if you can’t be out there for long stretches?
It’s part of the process. I’ve tried to negotiate with the coaches about giving me an extra minute here or there. It can be tough at times to gain a rhythm because it feels like you barely break a sweat before they’re telling you to sit down again. But I know there are steps I have to go through it won’t all come back at once. I’ve just got to use my voice. I’ve got a loud voice, and I’m big on communicating. I’ve got to bring great effort and really get lost in the game when I’m out there. I mean, I’m not like Jose Alvarado, but I’ve got a loud voice, and I’m always trying to pick my teammates up. I’ve got to be myself and be a leader whenever I can be. I know I’m still one of the young guys, but I’ve got to be who I am.
(Photo: Logan Riely / NBAE via Getty Images)
Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory
