My son had a wet basement and had to strip out a couple of exterior walls that were framed with 2x2s and covered with typical 70s paneling. Would replacing the thin paneling with drywall be too much weight for the 2x2s. Alternatives would bre put new paneling or reframe it all in 2x4s.
You can put sheet rock up on 2x2's as long as they are well secured. They should be treated for direct contact with cinder block. If it were me, I would frame a 2x4 wall and put insulation in the stud bays.
They'll hold it.
Depending on the span, the wall may shake, but the drywall won't fall off. It will be stiffer than it was with paneling.
Use green board or purple board.
One more thing...
You'll want to screw the drywall on. Don't nail it. The pounding will shake the heck out of the wall, and the 2x2s may break.
Where they screwed into a block or concrete wall? If so, no problem. If you want, you can add Tapcon concrete screws to increase the stability of the 2x2s.
I'll pass on the advice to him. I'm not sure if the 2x2s are anchored to the foundation , or not, but easy to do. Good though on using screws rather than nailing. The wall was insulated, so I'm assuming he'll put new insulation in .
If he doesn't have access to a drywall screw gun, they make these Drywall Screw Setters in various types that you put into a drill. It takes some practice to know when to stop pushing on the drill so that the screw sets properly and doesn't stick in or out too far. If the screw goes into the drywall too far and cuts the paper it has failed. It is better to go too shallow and use a Philips screw driver to turn it enough to just recess below the surface a little bit.
Make sure he leaves at least a 1/2" gap between the bottom of the drywall and the concrete floor to prevent basement flooding getting the drywall wet.
When I did mine, I used flat-framed 2x4. I also used a powder nailer (the kind that uses a .22 cartridge) and I found I was splitting all the 2x2. Laying 2x4s flat on the concrete was the ticket for me, and since 2x2s cost almost as much as a 2x4, it was a way to do it "better" and not really cost any more.
I like tapcons, but when was the house built? If they're concrete block or poured concrete, tapcons are fine. If they're cinder block, it's likely that every other tapcon you use will just cause the hole to crumble into dust instead of grabbing the threads. This is the ticket in my opinion... powder nailer.
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