NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans second-round draft choice E.J. Liddell has been diagnosed with torn knee ligaments that will keep him out indefinitely, the club said Tuesday.
The injury to the 6-foot-6 forward from Ohio State occurred in the third quarter of a Summer League game in Las Vegas on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
Subsequent imaging confirmed that Liddell has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Drafted 41st overall, Liddell averaged 19.4 points and 7.9 rebounds with the Buckeyes last season.
It wasn't clear if he was going to make the Pelicans' regular-season roster because the club already had 15 players under contract for next season. But Liddell could have been a two-way player, also spending time with the Pelicans' G League affiliate in Birmingham.
The Pelicans said a date for surgery had not yet been determined.
