The next-to-last mocks are rolling out and the top 20 prospects have spoken at the annual Green Room press conference in Manhattan and there appears to be two headlines as fans await the NBA Draft at Barclays Center Tuesday night, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The first is easy: Mikel Brown Jr. the 20-year-old, 6’5″ lead guard from Louisville appears to be the clear favorite for the Nets over the three other backcourt players. Multiple mock drafts, led by ESPN and Bleacher Report, have Brown as the pick
at No. 6.
The second headline is a bit more complicated and uncertain. In the last 24 hours, Nets have met and/or worked out two prospects, Morez Johnson Jr. of Michigan and Chris Cenac of Houston, both of whom are tabbed as mid-first rounders. Is that an indication that at this late stage of the process that the Nets believe they are going to acquire a second first rounder? It’s been something they’ve planned.
As Erick Slater tweeted, Brown — and his family — already has a relationship with the Nets, specifically Sean Marks and Jordi Fernandez…
That sounds mutually assuring. Brown was one of the college game’s top player and seems to tick off more boxes than his rival lead guards. He plays on both ends of the court.
In NBA Combine measurements, among the four guard prospects, Brown finished second in height (6’3.5”), first in standing reach (8’ 4.5”), wingspan (6’ 7.50”) in anthrometric measurements; second in both the shuttle run (2.89 seconds), third in 3/4-court sprint (3.24 seconds), and max vertical (39.5 inches). Similarly, he tied for first in spot-up shooting (72%) and free throw shooting (100%), second in 3-point shooting (62.0%).
Moreover, Brown is high character, a bit deal for the Nets after the Big 3 debacle. He knows what to say, too, as evidenced by his comments today and his confidence is sky-high, telling reporters that he believes he can play either guard position in the NBA. “Absolutely.”
As a freshman, Brown averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists per game for the Cardinals. He scored 45 points during a 118-77 win over N.C. State, breaking Cooper Flagg’s ACC freshman single game scoring record…
The man has range. In fact, he led the four lead guards in 3-pointers made from beyond 25 feet with 27, even though he played only 21 games compared to the 30-plus the others played. A troublesome back injury kept him out of the NCAA Tournament but he says he’s been cleared.
In addition to Brown’s comments, there was another from Keaton Waggler that seemed to hint that he’s gotten interest from the Clippers who hold the fifth pick…
The Clippers passing on Wagler and taking Brown could of course change things, as could success in moving up into the top four, but increasingly, both seem unlikely. What about the others? Brian Lewis reported that Kingston Flemings has neither met with nor worked out for the Nets and Darius Acuff while having worked out with the Nets didn’t seem at all enthused and he seemed to dismiss concerns about this defense…
On the prospect of the Nets getting another pick in the first round, there was what could be construed as news. After Mike Scotto reported Sunday that the Nets had brought Morez, the 6’9″ Michigan PF, in for a workout on Sunday, Chris Cenac, the 6’11” Houston big, told Slater and the others that he too visited HSS Training Center on the weekend and said the Nets saw him as a good fit…
Neither Johnson nor Cenac is projected near the No. 6 pick. Both are generally seen as mid-first rounders, with Johnson coming in at No. 12 in ESPN’s latest mock and Cenac No. 24. The Nets, of course, will have 35 future picks available on Draft Night: 14 firsts and swaps (10 of which are tradeable) and an NBA record 21 seconds (all of which can be moved) to offer teams that might be interested in saving some cap space in return for a first Tuesday night.
Another mid-first prospect, Karim Lopez spoke about how he thought his workout with the Nets (and up against Nate Ament) went…
However, the team many considered the best candidate for such a move, the Oklahoma City Thunder, made two moves in the past 24 hours that would see to eliminate them. OKC controls the 12th and 17th picks and was projected to be at or above the second apron. Instead, they agreed to send Aaron Wiggins to the Hawks for two seconds and trade Nos. 12 and 17 for the Mavericks No. 9.
The most likely possibilities other than the Thunder? The Knicks at No. 24? As their owner noted, they’re close to the second apron and he’s not willing to go over it. Using the 24th pick would require them to guarantee the player chose $3.4 million next season and $17.4 million over the full course of his contract. The Bulls also have two first at Nos. 4 and 15 but they are a rebuild as well and it might take a lot of unfree that second pick..
Of course, things can change. Often do. See you Tuesday night at Barclays. We plan full coverage.
