As you’re probably aware, the NBA draft occurred last night. The Nets acquired three players through the draft: Marshon Brooks, Jordan Williams, and Bojan Bogdanovic. I’ll have a write up on each of these players. First up is Brooks.
Name: Marshon Brooks
Position: SG
Measurables: 6′ 5″, 195 lbs
Age: 22
2010-2011 Season Averages(Senior year in college): 24.6 Points 2.5 Assists 7.0 Rebounds 1.5 Blocks 1.2 Steals 3.1 TO’s
The 2011 draft class was defined by players like Marshon Brooks. Good basketball players that had the success or skill set to warrant a chance in the NBA, but had enough red flags to be unsure about their NBA future. Only two players were seen as complete/ready to play in the NBA, and they went picks number one and two.
There are a lot reasons Brooks can be a productive player in the NBA. The biggest part of his gaming is his scoring ability. Simply put, the dude can flat out score. He was second in the nation ins scoring, and had 52 and 43 point outbursts against Notre Dame and Georgetown respectively. He has good size, good length, great body control, and an excellent first step. He actually creates a ton of his own offense, with 29.5% of his possessions coming in an isolation setting. His size also provides opportunities on the glass, as evidenced by his 7 rebounds a game.
However, there are reasons why Brooks went late first round. The biggest reason is his decision making. Brooks is prone to throw up a lot of shots, contested and uncontested. To his credit, a lot of them go in (shot 48% from the field last season), but he’s going to go up against bigger defenders and will not get the same opportunities he had before. Brooks also probably won’t be able to create as many isolation opportunities due to his athleticism (don’t worry, it’s not Kyle Singler bad). Brooks also has to tools to be a lockdown defender, but has yet to elevate defensive abilities beyond “good”.
To be totally honest, I didn’t know anything about Marshon Brooks prior to writing this. The only thing I knew came from draft night, when someone in the crowd (wearing a Providence jersey nonetheless) held up a sign calling him the next Kobe Bryant. Jeff Van Gundy was skeptical about the prospects of that coming true, and after learning about him so am I. Brooks doesn’t fill a huge need (THE NETS STILL NEED A WING) but he could very well become an upgrade over Anthony Morrow. He seems to be more than good shooter, and with this draft class I’ll take what I can get.
This is Brooks’ highlight tape. There is one defensive play…and he turns it into an offensive play