A Nets Mock Draft: Upside And Achievement

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NBA Mock Drafts have about as much reliability as Congressional Budget Office forecasts. Unless you have the top pick, no one can know who will even be available when any team is on the clock. And one simulation I ran had Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the certain No. 1 overall pick, slipping to 3. I weep for the future of AI.

With the 2025 Draft about three weeks away, Nets General Manager Sean Marks is finalizing his own board which will dictate the results of each of his five picks, including four in the first round. Brooklyn is so bereft of talent that they shouldn’t pass up anyone based on position. It’s best available player all night.

With the above understanding, I hereby submit a “mock” of picks I hope the Nets make:

First round (No. 8 overall): Khaman Maluach, Duke center

I see a lot of recent love for France native Noa Essengue at this spot. His scouting report raves about his length, athleticism, and ability to finish at the rim while still 18. Well, you could say the same thing about Maluach, only he’s about four inches taller and just three months older than Essengue. Maluach’s standing reach was measured at 9-foot 8, an inch longer than Victor Wembanyama’s. In an NBA defense, Maluach can be a menace as a hedger in pick-and-roll coverage, not just as a weak-side rim protector. I find his potential as a shooter underrated—he converted 76.6% from the free throw line as a college freshman, indicating a touch not often seen in men his size at his age. To be clear, he is a development project, as he started playing organized basketball only four years ago. But if you’re hoping for ridiculous upside with this pick, Maluach is the man.

First round (No. 19 overall): Rasheer Fleming St. Joseph’s forward

This might be a tad early, but Fleming is projected to be gone by Brooklyn’s next set of picks at 26/27. Two things stood out in my evaluation: His motor, which helped him generate nearly three “stocks” per game; and his three-point improvement to 39% on 4.5 attempts per game last season. At 6-foot 9 and 232 pounds, he has an NBA body (he’s also 21). Don’t ask him to be Cam Johnson; he doesn’t come close to boasting that all-court expertise. But maybe he can be the next Dorian Finney-Smith, and at No. 19, that isn’t a bad outcome.

First round: (No. 26 overall): Drake Powell, North Carolina wing

We’ll see if Powell lasts this long, but he did on all the simulations I ran, so I’m slotting him here. At about 6-foot 6 and with freakish athleticism (7-foot wingspan and 43-inch vertical leap) while still 19, he oozes upside. You just have to look past the paltry 7.4 points per game as a Tar Heel freshman—the Nets under Head Coach Jordi Fernandez have a way in pushing offensive aggression that likely wasn’t tolerated in college. But Powell certainly was efficient—he converted on nearly 38% of his three-pointers last season, including 44% on guarded catch-and-shoot 3s, per The Ringer. Powell, though, will make his money on defense, where he is considered the best in the class at working through screens.

First round (No. 27 overall): Walter Clayton Jr., Florida guard

I’m well aware I’m in the minority with this pick, but I’m taking a break from “upside” in favor of achievement. Ignore your age/size biases for the moment and consider Clayton’s ability to put the ball in the hoop. Most of his bombs are off the dribble, and he knows how to create space on his own to overcome the 6-foot 3 height. Defensively, there might be issues, but he does compete. The tendency amongst teams with picks in this range is to reach for a projection. Think outside the box instead. We can pretty much tell that Clayton, at worst, can be a solid backup point guard on a good team.

Second round (No. 36 overall): Joan Beringer, France center

A Draft-and-stash candidate. I’ve seen mocks that have Beringer going in the first round--good luck with that. At this stage, he’s really raw and really limited to lobs-and-blocks. But he’s also really 6-foot 10 and really athletic, and when you have that at 18, you’re going to get a long look. To be fair, Beringer is considered pretty multiple on the defensive end, able to switch 1-through-5. He runs the floor very well, too. The Nets, at this spot, can afford to take a flyer who can develop elsewhere, as four rookies with guaranteed contracts on a roster is already pushing it.