E. J. Liddell is starting Sunday against the Wizards, giving him his first start of the season and a bigger role for Brooklyn at a time when the team needs bodies inside. With much of the frontcourt thinned out, he could end up playing heavy minutes.
The numbers suggest he can handle the load. Per 36 minutes this season, Liddell has averaged 9.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 triples and 1.4 blocks per game, production that fits a lineup asking him to do more than just occupy space near the rim. Sunday’s start puts him in position to turn those rate stats into a longer stretch of responsibility.
Brooklyn’s frontcourt has been stretched thin enough that Liddell is among the last men standing there, and that opens the door for a workload that could look very different from his usual run. The move does not come with much mystery: if he is needed for minutes, the Nets have little choice but to keep him on the floor.
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What matters next is simple. Liddell’s first start of the season is also a test of whether Brooklyn can survive the night with a shorter frontcourt and still get enough from one of its most available options.
