With the NBA Draft just a few days away, all eyes are glued on the Barclays’ Center. All teams are seeking improvement so there will be an expectation of surprises. As the draft commences, the first selection is made by the Philadelphia 76ers who moves from third overall to first. Another team hopes to make similar noises in the draft. The Brooklyn Nets will shake up the 2017 NBA Draft or at least try to.
Brooklyn Nets Draft Day Agenda Will Shake up the NBA Draft
Nets Have Two First Round Picks
As things stand presently, the Nets are selecting twenty-second (22nd) and twenty-seventh (27th). Team GM Sean Marks embarked on the total rebuilding of the Nets and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson seems adept at bringing out the best of players. Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead performed admirably for a bad Nets team. Sean Kilpatrick turned into an NBA rotation player. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson proved to be a defensive stud at the forward positions. Though Hollis-Jefferson still struggled to play offense.
All members of the Nets are expendable and therefore available via trade. Remember, Marks placed a price tag on star center Brook Lopez. If Lopez was available then everyone is. Marks traded starting wing Bojan Bogdanovic to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline for a draft pick and salary dump in Andrew Nicholson.
What does it all mean? The Nets have needs at every position. Starting point guard Jeremy Lin was very good for the Nets last season when he played. However, Lin played only thirty-six (36) games out of the full complement of eighty-two (82).
Options Available for the Nets
While this draft is projected to be the deepest in recent history, the Nets sit near the bottom of the pecking order. Friendly reminder to say ‘Thank you’ to Billy King.
Who to Select at 22 and 27
At No.22, the Nets most likely picks from the following players; Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf, Justin Patton, D.J. Wilson and Ike Anigbogu. Each of these players is a power forward or center. It’s forecasted that there’ll be a run on bigs towards the end of the first round. Giles is an interesting possibility as he was touted as a possible first overall pick while in high school, however, knee injuries derailed such plans. Other possible bigs being considered are Cal’s Ivan Rabb, Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon, as well as Europeans Isaiah Hartenstein and Anzejs Pasecniks.
There’s also the possibility that Dallas teen Terrance Ferguson (a shooting guard) being available this late in the draft. Ferguson is one year removed from being a top ranked high school player who was academically ineligible to pay at the collegiate level. Another name that’s speculated is Jawun Evans, point guard Oklahoma State. Duke guard Frank Jackson may also be a possibility at this stage, though a reach due to injury.
Wing options include Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon, North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, and combo guard Tyler Dorsey of Oregon.
Marks Holds All the Cards
Marks identified two areas of need he plans to address this draft. These are improving the Nets’ three-point shooting with versatile wings, and adding more size at either center or power forward. Though Marks and Atkinson toured the world and worked out several players, Marks remains tight-lipped (as per team policy) about identifying the players that interests the Nets. Marks holds the cards and will play them on Thursday night in his home building, not before. No doubt, a surprise is coming.
