E.J. Liddell’s first nine games of the 2025-26 season were defined by a desperate, ultimately fruitless struggle to find rhythm during fleeting end-of-bench minutes. During a brief five-minute stint on 10/27 vs HOU, he managed to score 6 points and grab 2 rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting, yet still dragged the lineup down to an Impact of -1.4. Even when his jumper fell, his complete lack of playmaking and inability to anchor the defense kept his overall influence firmly in the red. The bottom fell out completely on 11/16 vs WAS. In just two minutes of action, Liddell bricked both of his shot attempts and recorded zero rebounds or assists, resulting in a disastrous Impact of -11.0. He later flashed a brief spark of efficiency by hitting his only three-pointer for 3 points on 01/26 vs LAC, but the resulting Impact of -1.3 told the same old story. When a fringe rotation player cannot execute defensive assignments or create for others, even perfect shooting in isolated bursts fails to move the needle.

E.J. Liddell spent this nine-game stretch trapped in a brutal offensive slump where increased playing time only magnified his struggles. When given a massive 28-minute run on 03/22 vs SAC, he completely misfired. He went 0-for-5 from the floor to post a disastrous -16.4 Impact score, as his total inability to score or stretch the defense dragged down the entire second unit despite his four assists. He did find a fleeting rhythm on 03/14 vs PHI, hitting four of his five shots to log 10 points and a +2.4 Impact. That brief flash of efficient shot-making in just 11 minutes provided exactly the kind of offensive punch a bench role demands. Unfortunately, that momentum vanished quickly, culminating in a dismal 03/23 vs POR performance where he missed all four of his three-point attempts and recorded a -10.4 Impact. If Liddell wants to survive in a modern rotation, he must stop bleeding value every time his jumper goes cold.