Ohio State’s EJ Liddell, Malaki Branham projected to go in latest ESPN NBA mock draft

The Ohio State men’s basketball team historically has not been the professional production factory that the football program has been over the year, but Buckeyes still place their fair share of players in the NBA. The Scarlet and Gray currently have five former players in the NBA, including All-Stars Mike Conley and D’Angelo Russell and former NBA All-Rookie Team member Jae’Sean Tate.

Ohio State is expected to add at least one more player to that list this upcoming offseason in forward EJ Liddell. But according to ESPN’s most recent 2022 NBA mock draft by Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (ESPN+), Liddell could have a current teammate in guard Malaki Branham joining him at the next level.

Givony and Schmitz have Liddell as a first-round pick, assuming he elects to forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft as expected, going No. 14 overall to the Atlanta Hawks. (Where teams pick in the 2022 NBA Draft will obviously change once the season is over.) They predict Branham, who would also have to declare early for the draft, to go with the 11th pick in the second round, 41st overall, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 6-foot-7 Liddell, who is in the midst of his junior season with the Buckeyes, considered heading to the NBA after last year, declaring for the NBA Draft following a season where he averaged 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per game and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches. After getting feedback following workouts, Liddell elected to return to the Buckeyes for at least one more year.

Liddell’s decision to return to college has paid off in a big way. With Duane Washington moving on to the NBA, Liddell has become the star for Ohio State, often carrying the team on a game-by-game basis. The forward averages 19.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 blocks per game while playing 32.4 minutes per contest. Liddell has scored in double figures in every game this season, which has extended his streak of at last 10 points to 35 consecutive games.

Branham, a former four-star prospect and Mr. Ohio Basketball in 2021, had high expectations coming to the Buckeyes, but has exceeded those so far as a freshman. An injury to senior forward Justice Sueing, which has cost him all but two games, opened the door for more minutes for Branham and he has excelled as the year has progresssed.

What’s next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you’re in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!

Want the latest scoops and news on the Buckeyes? Try our 7-DAY FREE TRIAL AND BECOME A BUCKNUTS SUBSCRIBER!

The 6-foot-5 freshman averages 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while playing 32.7 minutes per game. Since the calendar turned to 2022 however, Branham’s scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (4.4) have jumped considerably from the start of the season as he’s become more comfortable with college basketball and a bigger part of the Scarlet and Gray scheme.

While Ohio State would love to have both of these players back in 2022-23, Liddell seems destined to be in the NBA next year and if Branham’s stock continues to streak upward, he could join in his teammate.