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Why Rodions Kurucs is an ideal Brooklyn Net

By Christian Milcos

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at the conclusion of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Draft Position

Perhaps the biggest link between Brooklyn and Kurucs is his projected draft positon. He is currently slotted at 33rd on NBAdraft.net’s big board, and 18th on Draft Express. This is right in the Nets’ ballpark, and some past mocks have even had Kurucs projected to be the newest Brooklyn Net.

However, it only takes one team to fall in love with a high upside prospect from him to be selected a dozen picks sooner than projected (similarly to Georgios Papagiannis being picked by Sacramento last year.)

The question of how committed the Nets are to Kurucs must be brought up. Marks seems to like the idea of keeping both first-round picks. Did the Latvia-native show enough in his audition for Brooklyn to trade up if need be?

If Kurucs did garner a strong commitment from Marks, then it would be wise for the Nets and Kurucs’ camp to keep this information close to the chest. Brooklyn’s new front office has done a fantastic job of not leaking information. This scenario would be no different. In a perfect world, it will all come down to when the picks start rolling in on June 22nd.

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It would be wise for Brooklyn to use only one of its first-round picks on a high risk, high upside prospect. The other should be used on more of a known commodity, therefore ensuring the Nets won’t come out of this draft with two failed projects.

In looking at popular names who have been linked to the Nets, the riskiest players include; Harry Giles, Anzejs Pasecniks, Ivan Rabb, Isaiah Hartenstein, Terrance Ferguson and Kurucs. Theoretically, Marks would pursue one of the above players with either the 22nd or 27th pick and go for a safer bet, such as Jawun Evans, with the other pick.

It is also important for the Nets’ brass to not select two prospects who have a similar play style. Coming off a season in which Brooklyn was the worst team in the NBA, it’s vital to bring in a variety of players who help the team in all aspects.