New Orleans Pelicans pick E.J. Liddell has ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in right knee, indefinitely

Las Vegas – New Orleans Pelicans’ second-round pick E.J. Liddell He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Monday’s summer league competition and will be out indefinitely.

Liddell fell in the third quarter of a game against the Atlanta Hawks when he sprained his right knee under him. In two games in Las Vegas, Liddell averaged 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.

The Pelicans feared the worst once the injury occurred on Monday as he was taken off the field by his teammates. An MRI on Monday evening in Las Vegas confirmed the injury.

Liddell, who spent three years at Ohio State, earned a first-class finish in the 2022 NBA draft from several draft experts including ESPN’s Jonathan Givoni, who was ranked 21st overall. However, Liddell slipped to the Pelican at 41st overall.

Liddell was a third-team All-American during the 2021-22 college season while also named to the All-Big Ten first team and All-Big Ten defensive team. He averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.6 pieces per game in 32 games for Ohio State last year.

New Orleans has 15 guaranteed contracts on its roster after 14 carried over from 2021-22 and the team selected Dyson Daniels With pick number 8 in the draft.

Pelicans can free up space for a Liddell nodes or insert it into one of their two-way locations.