The Brooklyn Nets might be laden with superstar talent all over the roster, but that doesn’t mean that Sean Marks has completely eschewed building through the draft. With success stories like Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen on his resume, Marks has proven he can be a quality drafter in this range.
Brooklyn came into the night with five draft picks, two of which were first-round selections. Trading Landry Shamet to the Phoenix Suns for Jevon Carter and the No. 29 pick in the draft gave Brooklyn ample opportunity to fill some of the cracks on their roster.
The Nets needed to add a center to improve their rebounding on both sides of the floor, more bench depth on the perimeter, and a versatile forward who could help Brooklyn space the floor when he enters the game. Marks checked all of those boxes.
It’s time to hand the Nets their report card after one of the busiest nights in franchise history. How did the Nets end up performing?
Brooklyn Nets 2021 NBA Draft Grades
No. 27: Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU
As if the Nets needed even more scoring! Thomas averaged an insane 23.0 points per game as a freshman in the SEC, showing that he was one of the best isolation scorers in the country last season. Despite having to frequently carry the Tigers on offense, Thomas proved he was willing to absorb that weight.
Thomas’ shooting was already something that had helped his stock shoot up after the season ended, and he should be in for some wide open shots considering that he will be sharing the floor with three of the best offensive players in the league in Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.
https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1420952638846377991
Cameron Thomas could be the Brooklyn Nets’ Sixth Man this year.
Of course, there are reasons why he slid. Thomas is not going to be a quality passer or defender on Day 1, and his ceiling in both of those areas is not very high. The lack of effort and urgency on the defensive end has been a glaring weakness that Steve Nash needs to shake out of him as soon as possible.
Thomas might be a bit of a one-trick pony at this point in his career, and the selection didn’t necessarily fill a very pressing need on a team that has more shooters than they know what to do with, but you simply shouldn’t pass on this type of offensive talent at this stage of the draft. Thomas will look good in black and white.
Grade: B+