The end of the NBA's regular season is a golden opportunity for reserves on lottery dwellers to shine. Teams are sitting out their top players or spreading out the minutes to include plenty of guys on two-way contracts.
This has been very true for the Brooklyn Nets over the last few weeks, and one of their part-time G League players has taken full advantage of opportunities in their previous three games.
E.J. Liddell is on his third team in three years, but his first season in Brooklyn has been his best thus far. With the Long Island Nets, he has been a star, putting up 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on 49-35-86 shooting splits. But he has also made his mark in the NBA as of late.
Liddell's minutes have increased to an average of 29.3 over Brooklyn's last three games. With key contributors like Michael Porter Jr. , Nic Claxton and Egor Dmin out as of late, the former Ohio State star has been scoring and rebounding at an effective rate.
The Nets are 2-1 in their last three games, with Liddell averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds on 69-64-85 shooting splits. He has led the team in points and field goals made in that stretch, becoming the most prominent piece in the rotation.
The 25-year-old forward put up a career-high 21 points on April 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks , but topped that with 26 against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. He has displayed a great level of on-ball scoring, but from the outside and within the arc. Liddell has used his 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame to post up defenders and finish around the rim.
Playing with facilitators like Ben Saraf and Nolan Traor has definitely helped Liddell's game. The rookie point guards have been more aggressive, operating in the pick-and-roll, which has only freed up more mismatches both on the perimeter and in the midrange area.
If he can finish the season with this level of production, perhaps Liddell could come up with a full-time NBA roster spot next season. Malachi Smith , another G Leaguer from Long Island, recently signed a two-year deal with the Nets , so it's not impossible for some of their two-way players to be rewarded.
Keep an eye on Liddell in Brooklyn's final two games of 2025-26. The Nets take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, followed by a season finale against the Toronto Raptors .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/nets/onsi as Nets Forward EJ Liddell Taking Advantage of Recent Opportunities in Brooklyn .
