Projecting the Brooklyn Nets draft ‘big board’
By Josh Rudy
In the second round, I expect the Nets to be very active. Not only will they be looking to add talent to their current roster, but also the G-League roster. Brooklyn has the luxury of watching the Long Island team practice in the HSS Training Center and play in the Barclay’s Center. The addition of two-way players will certainly play a role on draft night, and post-draft signings.
The Nets have been working out a handful of projected second-round picks. Is it because they have plans to move up? I think so. The 57th pick may belong to Brooklyn now, but it’s easy for one to believe that pick could be traded, along with some cash. Last year, the Nets traded the 55th pick and ‘cash considerations’ to Utah for the 42nd pick – Isaiah Whitehead.
With this in mind, here are the players the Nets may target in the second round.
Alec Peters – 23 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.2 APG
Power Forward, Valparaiso; 6’9″, 225 lbs.
Peters, a four-year star at Valparaiso, has watched his stock decline since he injured his leg in his senior season. While not being cleared to engage in 5 on 5 competition yet, Peters remains confident he will prove himself, regardless of draft position. Posting career averages of 41% from three and 85% from the charity stripe, he has the tools to become a major weapon for an offense. He has yet to workout for the Nets, as far as we know.
Caleb Swanigan – 18.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 3.0 APG
Power Forward/Center, Purdue; 6’9″, 247 lbs.
The Big Ten Player of the Year has worked for everything in his basketball career. At 13 years old, Swanigan weighed 350 pounds. That is not a typo (read his incredible story, here). Fast forward to now, Swanigan seems like a good fit for a team that embraces the struggle and is working towards greatness. Brooklyn has had him in for a workout.
Tyler Dorsey – 14.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG
Shooting Guard, Oregon; 6’4″, 180 lbs.
Dorsey, known for his lethal shooting stroke, played a crucial role in leading the Oregon Ducks to the Final Four. He shot 42% from distance last season and has the tools to be an effective defender at the next level. Brooklyn has been searching everywhere for “3 and D” players, and Dorsey fits the categorization. He has worked out for the Nets.
Jaron Blossomgame – 17.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.5 APG
Small Forward, Clemson; 6’7″, 219 lbs.
A four-year player at Clemson, Blossomgame has battled in arguably the best conference in college basketball for his entire career. Blossomgame doesn’t fit the typical “3 and D” description, but he projects to be an outstanding defender nonetheless. He connected on 32% of his three-point attempts in college, so all hope is not lost. Blossomgame, the focal point of the Clemson Tigers offense, was still able to post impressive numbers against the stiffest competition collegiate basketball has to offer despite his shooting deficiencies. Trevor Booker has advocated for his services, and I think the Nets may feel the same. Blossomgame has worked out with the Nets.
Conclusion
There is a very real possibility the Nets’ big board is nothing similar to this. This list was complied by determining potential fits within the organization, analyzing pre-draft workouts and just about everything the front office has given us to work with as fans.
The Nets have done an outstanding job of keeping things ‘in house,’ so it leaves us to speculate. Feel free to leave your comments below on who you think the Nets may be considering in the upcoming draft!