Brooklyn Nets’ Top Draft Picks Since 2000
By Rohan Dang
With the 2017 NBA Draft in the rear-view mirror, NBA teams like the Brooklyn Nets are wondering whether they found the next big star. For the past 18 years, 1080 meticulously thought-out decisions were made by NBA GMs on which young athlete would be the best fit for their franchise. So how well have the Nets done in these past 17 drafts?
5. Kyle Korver
With the 21st pick in the 2nd round of the 2003 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected a sharpshooter from Creighton, Kyle Korver. Yep; the 2015 NBA All-Star was a 51st pick.
Unfortunately, the Nets decided to trade him immediately on draft to the 76ers for a copy machine. Literally a copy machine. His draft rights yielded the Nets $150,000, which they then used for some Front Office expenses, including a copy machine.
What could’ve been a very valuable piece to a championship-contending Nets squad ended up being a three-point specialist in the next state over. Korver really launched his career during the second year of his tenure with the 76ers, when he led the league in three-pointers made.
Since then, he has been the definition of sharp-shooter, nearly missing the coveted 50-40-90 club (a “club” for players who have at least 50% FG, 40% 3PT, and 90% FT in a given season) in the 2014-15 season.
4. Ryan Anderson
With the 21st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected long-range big man from California, Ryan Anderson.
In his one season with NJ, Anderson hit one three a game, to go along with nearly eight points with his 20 minutes off the bench. Prior to his second season, he was traded along with Vince Carter for three players from the Orlando Magic.
He turned into a perimeter scoring threat in his four years with the Magic, and then moved to New Orleans where he ultimately had a career-high 19.8 PPG.
Going into the 2016-2017 season, Anderson decides to take his talents to Houston, forming one of the most lethal three-point shooting squads in the country. He boasts career averages of 13.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 38% 3PT shot.
3. Derrick Favors
With the third pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the New Jersey Nets chose the power forward from Georgia Tech, Derrick Favors. A highly-touted prospect out of high school, Favors averaged a dominant 12.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on 61% shooting.
What do John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and Derrick Favors all have in common? They were all one of the top 10 picks in the incredibly rich 2010 Draft.
The Nets gambled on Favors, and halfway through the season flipped him in a blockbuster move with Utah. The Jazz’s franchise point guard, and arguably the best in the league Deron Williams made his way over to New Jersey to change this franchise forever.
It was a superb win for the Nets, pairing their young star center Brook Lopez with the dominant Williams. Eventually, the superb win slowly morphed into a costly loss, and the Nets became The Nets (20-62).
On the other side of the deal, Favors ultimately grew well until this past season. He was maligned by injuries in the beginning of his Utah career but eventually recovered. He increased his scoring average every season, peaking at 16.4 PPG in 2015-16 before this sizable dip in production in 2016-17.