The Long Island Nets returned to their home court on Sunday afternoon for a showdown with the San Diego Clippers. Off the backs of the three Brooklyn Nets two-way players – EJ Liddell, Tyson Etienne, and Chaney Johnson – the Nets G League affiliate picked up a hard-fought win, 119-115.
E.J. Liddell, who’s been on a roll lately, led the way in scoring, picking up 26 points and each of the Nets two other two-ways, Tyson Etienne and Chaney Johnson, had 22 each for a total of 70
Liddell had a good game
shooting the ball, connecting on seven of his nine shots, including going two-for-three from beyond the arc. He also made every opportunity count from the foul line, hitting seven of his eight foul shots. This marked a season-high for the Brooklyn two-way. In the final quarter of the game, Liddell managed to pick up 16 points, marking the highest-scoring quarter of his NBA G League career.
Liddell spoke to NetsDaily about his impressive performance. “The joy of playing basketball,” Liddell told ND of what has been driving him of late.. “We’ve been doing it since we were kids. Now we get to play for a living and get paid to do this. Just going out there and looking up at the clock and thinking ‘okay, we got some time, but I need to go out there and do something myself.’ My teammates just found me at the right time, right spots, and I was just confident in my game, and I’ve been working on it a lot.”
The Nets picked up Liddell in the offseason. He made his way over from the Chicago Bulls organization, where he played a career-high 12 NBA games last season. When asked about what went through his mind when he found he signed a two-way with the Brooklyn Nets, Liddell said, “It’s an opportunity.
“I worked my butt off all summer, changed my body, I worked a lot of stuff in the darkness. I don’t need cameras in front of my face the whole time. When I got the chance to come to Brooklyn, it’s a rebuilding team, a team that wants to win. Being around Jordi, I love the way he says ‘grit’ because I think I’m made of grit and resilience… I’m an underdog in my eyes. Being in Brooklyn, it’s like where the little brothers to everybody right now, but it’s going to change, eventually.”
“I didn’t have many options. That kind of hurt me and drove me a little bit, too,” said Liddell who turned 25 last month. “It was either Brooklyn or I had some other options, elsewhere, but this was the best opportunity for me. They’ve been looking at me since the pre-draft coming out of college, but they didn’t have a pick the year I was coming out in 2022. It was great to be in the gym, great to be around everyone, and it felt like love when I walked into the gym.”
Liddell also flirted with a double-double in this one, picking up eight rebounds, which led the team. Liddell also had three assists and one block to his credit. Liddell has been among the league leaders in the NBA G League in blocks, averaging over two per game. After the game, ND had a chance to speak with Liddell on how important the block aspect of the game of basketball is to his personal game.
“It’s a God-given gift,” Liddell tells ND. “The timing, the patience, I think it’s just me blocking out negativity. That’s how I look at it when I’m blocking shots. Blocking out bad vibes. That’s just a gift I’ve always had.”
Looking ahead for Liddell, his goals are pretty simple for the remainder of the season, whether in Brooklyn or on Long Island. “No matter where I’m at, I want to commit to winning,” Liddell tells ND. “I want to commit to the people around me. It’s not all about me. It’s about the units. It’s about being in the present moment. No matter where I’m at. I don’t want to be on Long Island and think about being in Brooklyn, and I don’t want to be in Brooklyn thinking about being on Long Island. It’s just, if I’m here the rest of the year, I want to go win a championship, simple as that. Every single minute I step out there. If I’m in Brooklyn, I want to help us get to a play-in or play-off game. No matter where I’m at, I’m going to be me and play my hardest.”
Chaney Johnson, signed last month to the third and final two-way deal last week, made his Long Island home debut in this one and wasted little time endearing himself to the fans. The 6’7” 3-and-D candidate connected on eight of his 10 shots, including a surprising 3-of-4 beyond the arc. The effort tied a career-high in points for Johnson in the G League…
“We came off a hard loss, he said referring to Friday’s overtime loss to Cleveland and I’m kind of a little hard on myself. I’ve been trying to get out of that mindset. We play so many games so if you have a game you don’t perform as good as you can, just put it behind you, so my main goal coming into this game was I’m heavy spiritual-wise, so just continue to pray to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to give me the confidence to go out there and hoop and have the next play mentality. That’s pretty much how I played. I give a lot of energy… I just have to go out there and play hard and play confident.”
When asked about how he found out he was headed to the NBA, Johnson told ND, “The thing is, it was the 21st of December, and I was calling all my coaches. We just got back from the Showcase not long ago, and I called the Coach from Auburn, and he thought I was calling because Brooklyn called him. I’m like, ‘Brooklyn? What are you talking about?’ and he told me they were interested in offering me a two-way. Then I found out officially on the 26th that they signed me. So, I was ecstatic. That was the best Christmas present ever. I was really happy.”
Like Liddell, Johnson admitted he was primarily concerned with the most basic aspect of pro sports, moving up. His elevation move from a G League roster spot in Cleveland to a two-way, in Brooklyn, was the big deal but also added that Long Island Nets coach Mfon Udofia, now in his fourth year, has good reputation,
“Honestly, when I got the call that I got a two-way, I didn’t care about any of that,” Johnson tells ND. “It was a two-way. I signed a standard G League contract for training camp coming out of college. So, it was just like two-way? I’ll just focus on the two-way. The head coach is one of the best coaches to play for. He lets you play. When we make mistakes, he’ll come to you and let you know what you did to get better. It’s always uplifting and nothing negative.”
Johnson said his goals are pretty simple for the remainder of the season: “My main goal is to win,” Johnson says. “Especially whenever I’m with the Long Island Nets, or the Brooklyn Nets. But, just to continue to get better. Just to win and continue to progress in my ability.”
The third Brooklyn two-way player, Tyson Etienne, matched Johnson’s numbers in this one in the point category. Etienne had 22 points of his own, connecting on seven of his 13 shots, hitting six-for-11 from beyond the arc. After having a terrific shooting performance in the last game on Friday against Cleveland, things tend to be trending in the right direction for Etienne.
Etienne was also credited with two rebounds and six assists. This may have been Etienne’s best game yet as a Net. He took smart shots throughout the game and got his teammates involved when nothing was available for him. Things are trending in a very positive way for Etienne in just about every category. Including the other two-way players, there’s a lot that fans can be happy about. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about rookie Ben Saraf.
Saraf, who had a 40-point game at the end of December at the G League Winter Showcase then another 21-pointer, has been trending in the wrong direction since then. Saraf had a just downright bad day shooting the ball, connecting on just three of his 10 shots, including missing both shots he took from three-point land. Saraf finished with just six points, the lowest of the five starters for Long Island.
However, putting aside his shooting, Saraf’s had a solid game. He finished with seven assists, three rebounds, three steals, and one block. So, what wasn’t working for him shooting the ball worked for him in other aspects of his game. Saraf also led the game in turnovers with three. Long Island only turned the ball over eight times, the lowest of the season. Saraf was credited with three of the eight.
Nate Williams finished with 20 points in a return to form as of late, connecting on eight of his 15 shot attempts. Williams was also credited with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. This looked much more like the Williams that we were endeared to in the beginning of the season.
The Long Island Nets were once again without Grant Nelson, who remained out due to a left knee soreness which the team hasn’t detailed. When asked about Nelson before the game, head coach Mfon Udofia said, “he’s been great,” Udofia added to ND. “He’s got an injury right now. He’s progressing well. We’re starting with some non-contact stuff right now, but he’s progressing the right way. He’s working hard each and every day. So, he can’t wait to get back on the floor.”
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (3-2) return to the court on Tuesday night for a rematch with the San Diego Clippers, in what is anticipated to be yet another very close game between these two evenly matched teams. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN+ and the Gotham Sports App.
