4. Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez always delivered as a high Nets draft pick.
Brook Lopez would surely rank higher if not for the Nets’ lack of success during his tenure with them. The former Stanford star was drafted No. 10 overall back in 2008 and went on to become one of the more unappreciated players of the last decade. Lopez spent nine seasons with the franchise, seven of which featured a losing record. That included the infamous 12-70 campaign in his second year.
The 32-year-old vet was part of the team’s relocation from New Jersey to Brooklyn after the 2011-12 season. Surprisingly enough, the Nets made the playoffs in their first three years in Kings County, but failed to advance beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Despite those shortcomings, there’s no doubting that fans will fondly remember Lopez’s tenure with the organization. For starters, he’s the Nets’ all-time leader in points scored, field goals made, blocks and offensive win shares. He also ranks second in games played and third in both minutes and total rebounds.
The former All-Star averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game on 50.6% shooting. In the simplest of terms, Lopez was a valiant servant to a Nets team that really did a terrible job at complementing his unique talent.