The Brooklyn Nets will have four picks in the first round, and none are quite as high as they would have hoped. To that point, Nets general manager Sean Marks made multiple visits to Rutgers games to scout the Dylan Harper–Ace Bailey duo. However, Brooklyn’s top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft will be No. 8 overall, likely taking them out of Harper and Bailey’s draft range.
Nets fans need not fret though, as the franchise appears to have honed in on another promising prospect with their top pick.
Is It Scary Hours For Nets With No. 8 Draft Pick?
With the 2025 NBA Draft Combine tipping off, the pre-draft vetting process is at its climax. Dozens of players are currently in Chicago being weighed, measured, and interviewed. After the combine wraps up this weekend, teams will bring in select prospects for individual workouts and interviews.
So far, the Nets have met with four players during this year’s NBA Draft Combine (h/t ClutchPoints reporter Erik Slater): Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, Duke wing Kon Knueppel, BYU guard Egor Demin, and Arizona wing Carter Bryant.
Among the players the Nets have met with at the combine thus far:
Jeremiah Fears
Kon Knueppel
Egor Demin
Carter BryantTeams have more meetings scheduled throughout the week.
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) May 14, 2025
Of those players, the Nets might be the most interested in Fears. Speaking to New York Post reporter Brian Lewis about playing for the Nets, the 18-year-old says it isn’t “a bad idea.”
Jeremiah Fears has worked out for two teams so far: the #Nets and #Wizards. Asked about playing in Brooklyn, he said “It’s not a bad idea. I actually like New York a little bit.” #NBA
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) May 14, 2025
“I actually like New York a little bit,” he adds, rather pointedly.
Approached by Slater about his meeting with Brooklyn, Fears says: “The conversations were great. They were just telling me how I could fit within their system and be an overall good piece for them.”
Jeremiah Fears said he had a “great” meeting and workout with the Nets:
“The conversations were great. They were just telling me how I could fit within their system and be an overall good piece for them.” pic.twitter.com/VWKjL6BaYA
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) May 14, 2025
Given how the team thrived with Dennis Schroder in 2024-25 (and vice-versa), Fears makes a lot of sense for the Nets.
At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, he plays with the same moxie as Schroder; he’s fiery, decisive, and confident. A quick and shifty shot-creator who also makes an impact as a two-way playmaker, he could very well be the team’s point guard of the future. In 2024-25, Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
