Ohio State Basketball: Projecting ceiling for Buckeyes with E.J. Liddell return

Ohio State Basketball should suddenly be thanking their lucky stars for the NIL developments, as they may have played a direct hand in the return of E.J. Liddell. That return only serves to raise the ceiling for the 2021-22 Buckeyes.

In an interview with ESPN, Liddell noted that the ability to earn some money swayed his decision to return to Columbus. Now the Buckeyes are set up to be a potential Final Four contender next season.

Ohio State had the look of a Final Four contender entering the 2021 NCAA Tournament as a 2-seed. That ended spectacularly badly, with the Buckeyes failing to win a single game, falling to tournament darlings Oral Roberts. Best believe, the returning players and coaches will have a significant chip on their shoulders.

Liddell, of course, was one of those players. Liddell averaged 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors. He has an inside shot at earning Big Ten Player of the Year next season.

He’s also set to be the alpha male for Chris Holtmann’s team next season. That role could’ve belonged to guard Duane Washington Jr., but he’s decided to stay in the NBA Draft. Instead, that role falls to Liddell – as he goes, the Buckeyes go.

So where will the Buckeyes go next season? Despite the loss of Washington, the Buckeyes are still returning plenty of talent, including Justice Sueing (10.7 points per game) and Kyle Young (8.6 points per game). Jamari Wheeler will have a big role on this team after transferring over from Penn State, where he averaged 6.8 points per game. Justin Aherns, Joey Brunk, and Seth Towns will also be expected to contribute.

Then, there’s Malaki Branham. The combo guard is a four-star prospect and Ohio State’s best recruit since DJ Carton. There’s a chance Branham will stave off Aherns and Meechie Johnson for a spot in the starting lineup next season. He’ll prove to be one of the team’s biggest wild cards next year.

Still, it’s going to be all about Liddell next season and whether or not the junior can take another step forward. There’s certainly no reason to doubt the forward. He improved across the board from his first season to his second, including boosting his scoring from 6.7 points to 16.2 points per game. To some degree, that can be attributed to a near doubling of playing time.

But one improvement that can’t be viewed the same way is his improvement as a three-point shooter. He was lost from beyond the arc as a freshman, hitting just 19.2 percent of his three-point attempts. As a sophomore, it was a much different story at a 33.8 percent success rate. More improvement from that area and Liddell will be lethal on offense.

So where does that leave Ohio State’s ceiling? Without Liddell, it would be considerably lower. They may not even be good enough to make it out of the first weekend.

With an improving Liddell in the fold, sky’s nearly the limit. The Buckeyes have a great mix of veteran talent, a potential superstar in the making, and a promising freshman who could burst onto the scene. While an Elite Eight appearance feels like a good projection, the ceiling with E.J. Liddell back should be an appearance in the national championship.