It was eight years ago that E,J. Liddell and Malachi Smith combined to win an Illinois state championship for Belleville West High School. Liddell was also Illinois Mr. Basketball and the two went on to sterling college careers, ending up at Ohio State (Liddell) and Gonzaga (Smith.) Now, the two have been reunited in Long Island, both of them big contributors to the Nets G League affiliate’s success.
Last night was just another reason for the Nets to thank Belleville West as the two combined for 39 points in a 115-107 win over the Grand Rapids Gold at Nassau Coliseum which included a 25-0 run, the biggest in franchise history. Liddell, the Nets two-way, scored 14 and Smith 25 in starting roles, Liddell at power forward and Smith in a combo guard role. It was yet another big game for Smith who’s on a G League only deal.
The 6’4” 26-year-old hit 12 of his 18 shot attempts. Since getting the starting role, Smith has reached new heights in his G League career, his development took a right turn when he began starting with Long Island. He started putting up numbers that he always had potential to and has averaged 17.1 points over the past 10.
Smith came close to a triple-double, as he picked up seven rebounds and eight assists. Smith even had a block to his credit. Smith could become Long Island’s next big development project, similar to Tyson Etienne from last season.
Liddell, his fellow Maroon, made his return to Long Island in this one, after spending a week in Brooklyn and playing in Brooklyn’s big loss against the Detroit Pistons, putting up five points in 10 minutes. After the game, Liddell spoke to ND about his time in Brooklyn again, and playing against the East’s top team.
“We took a couple of tough losses,” Liddell tells ND of his time in Brooklyn. “But, just what Jordi (Fernandez) has been teaching all along, resilience. We have to play with grit and how we’re going to handle adversity as a team. You have to respond a certain way, and we responded when we went to Utah. We took a tough one, so hopefully they’ll respond tomorrow.”
When Liddell asked ND about playing in such a brutal loss, he said, “It’s basketball, I love playing basketball no matter where I’m at.”
After getting back to Long Island late Sunday night, he scored 14 points while shooting 40% for Long Island. Liddell also had three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Despite his 6’7” height Liddell is one of the G League’s top shotblockers, averaging better than two a game. He also spoke to ND after the game about his performance and mindset coming out of a win like this.
“Coming into today, it’s honestly all about winning,” Liddell tells ND. “I got in late last night, so I tried to get as much sleep in as possible. But you know, come in and compete with these guys that have been here for it, so it’s good to always be back with the guys that welcome me back.”
Liddell proved once again to be one of the court’s most physical players on Monday in his 28 minutes. This is a part of his game that has grown exponentially this season. Whether he blocks the ball or makes tough shots in traffic, the physical part of his game is growing.
“Physicality,” Liddell says. “That’s what they preach. They said that it would be a big part of my game. I’ve even shedded a lot of weight, and I’m still just a broader guy. My dad’s a bigger guy, so that’s just my build. So, I got to use it to my advantage.”
Asked about possibly being elevated to a standard NBA contract, Liddell said he believes he’s an NBA player, adding that it’s not up to him.
“I’ll let the cards fall where they may,” Liddell said. “Obviously, I want to play in the NBA one day. I believe I’m an NBA player, true to heart. But, whatever happens, happens. I have to worry about where my feet are at now; I can’t really worry about what goes on with the politics and everything. I’m just a basketball player. I’m just EJ. If they want me around, I’m going to be around.”
The trade deadline is often a time when NBA teams make decisions on standard deals as well as two-ways with roster moves opening up spots. A few days ago, Grant Nelson, the 23-year-old 7-footer who’s started the last seven games for Long Island, discussed how his goal is a two-way deal, as it has been since he joined the Nets on an Exhibit 10 last summer. With Brooklyn’s Haywood Highsmith’s situation unsettled - he has yet this season and is on an expiring deal, it’s possible both could get their wish.
Nelson, however, remains on a minutes restriction. He broke 20 minutes for the first time Monday night, his eighth start and ninth game since returning from a seven-week layoff that he said had gone a long way towards correcting a knee issue that’s bothered him since he 18, five years ago.
He finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-2 from deep. It was his first three since his return. He also grabbed six boards. But his big contribution was what might be the dunk of the year for Long Island. The 7-foot Nelson took off down the lane and posterized 7’2” Moses Brown who’s had stints both with the Nets and Knicks.
Brown had started the game dominating the Nets bigs, but after Nelson’s jam, things turned around as coach Mfon Udofia assigned both Nelson and 6’11” David Muoka to him…
“Honestly, he’s a great player. For his size, he can move really well,” Muoka said of Brown. “I’ve had a couple of games against him in my previous two years in the league. For me, with guys like that, it’s just be as physical as I can be and do my work early. There was one or two times I didn’t, and he got the left hook over me. That kind of stuff is what I take pride in, being the guy that guys can’t really score on, whether that’s off-ball or on-ball, just being that defender that I know I can be.”
The game was big as well for Tyson Etienne who could also be in line for a standard deal, although the Nets are at the moment not in need for another guard. The Nets two-way had a game-leading 26 points. The 6’0” 26-year-old point guard entered this game as the all-time Long Island Nets scoring leader. He connected on nine of his 15 shots, including seven of 12 from 3-point range. Etienne also picked up four rebounds and six assists while turning the ball over only one time
Finally, Nate Williams finished with yet another double-double. He tallied 16 points and had 12 rebounds to his credit. The 6’6” wings who turns 27 next week has the most NBA experience on Long Island.
His is another name to watch, for a potential two-way deal, whether with Brooklyn,another NBA team or even overseas. Long Island has already lost two top players to international teams, Yuri Collins to the Israeli league and Jay Scrubb to the Mongolian league where he scored 43 points last week.
Morgan Tucker talks about her two hats
The game also marked Long Island’s big New York Liberty affiliation night which included Long Island playing in Liberty themed uniforms and fan giveaways. The new Liberty’s new head coach, Chris DeMarco, and Libs center Nyara Sabally were in attendance.
Before the game, NetsDaily got the chance to speak with the Vice President of Business Operations for both the Long Island Nets and the New York Liberty, Morgan Taylor. Taylor spoke on the partnership between Long Island and the Liberty and the importance of it all.
“It’s really important,” Taylor tells ND. “It started before I got my role with the Long Island Nets. It’s important to our whole company to celebrate what the Liberty means to Brooklyn, to Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. Once this partnership started, once the Liberty came over to Brooklyn and started their full season in 2021. It’s great because the players get to wear a jersey that’s similar to what the Liberty wear on court. It’s great to know that the players understand their relationship too. Now it’s even more fun because I work for both teams, so I’m happy that we’re able to cross-promote the night and the two teams.”
Nelson also picked up six rebounds and three assists. He also had one steal to round out his pretty complete game. While he wasn’t a scoring machine in this one, Nelson still showed a ton of progress in different aspects of the game, mainly his physicality and play in the paint. Nelson also hit his first three of the season, trying to expand his shooting out to three-point land. He connected on just one of his two tries.
The third and final Brooklyn two-way on hand in this one was Chaney Johnson. Johnson entered the game from the bench, tallying eight points for 100% day shooting the ball. He went three-for-three, including hitting both of his shots from deep. Johnson also had two rebounds and two steals. However, he had three turnovers, which were tied for the team lead.
David Muoka continued his impressive play as of late. After starting the season off slowly, Muoka has seemingly gotten back on track. He has looked like a force out on the court, and his physical play has seemingly helped him to turn the page. After the game, Muoka spoke to ND about his turnaround this season.
Long Island got off to a strong start from beyond the arc, shooting 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from deep in the opening quarter while limiting Grand Rapids to just one made triple, but the Gold held a 30-25 lead after the first frame. Grand Rapids went on a 27-9 run from 3:34 in the first quarter to 8:10 in the second. Long Island battled back to end the quarter on a 10-2 run and cut the deficit to 66-55 entering the break. Etienne led the Nets with 19 points on 77.8 percent (7-for-9) shooting from the field and 71.4 percent (5-for-7) shooting from downtown in the first half.
Long Island went on a 25-0 run marking the longest run of consecutive points in franchise history. The Nets erupted for 40 points in the third while holding Grand Rapids to just 12 points in the frame. The Gold fought back with an 11-0 run. Long Island held on for a 115-107 win. Long Island finished the game shooting 50 percent (43-for-86) from the field and 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from deep in the win.
The Long Island Nets (10-7) return to the court on Friday, February 5th, as they travel to Chicago to take on Mac McClung and the Windy City Bulls. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on the NBA G League and Long Island Nets respective websites.