What type of player to target with 2024 Nets pick?

Calling my shot that Adem Bona and Reece Beekman are Rockets next summer.

 

7'3" center Aday Mara (might need to win the lotto to get him)
https://www.si.com/nba/draft/prospe...2605&pid=5b7cdf07-ef7f-459b-a231-0a8645763080

Unfortunately, it's a weak draft, so if the pick falls into the late lottery our odds of getting an actual NBA player with the pick are slim. For the same reason, GMs around the league are valuing 2024 picks pretty low, so it will be hard to get a good trade return.

 

A couple interesting returning center prospects in this draft.. I like Sengun as the long term starter, but I want the ability to throw different defensive looks on the floor.

Adem Bona, UCLA - Athletic screener and vertical spacer. Spam PnR with this guy. Pac 12 All Defense as a freshman. Defends all over the floor. Don't think he's Bam Adebayo level switch defender, but he's better than average. Great energy and effort.

Donovan Clingan, UCONN - Big body 7'2, 260lbs with a reported 7'7 wingspan. Rebounder and shotblocker. I'm usually low on these kinds of centers..preferring more mobility, but Donovan has decent feet and is consistently in a spot to contest. Walker Kessler has me paying more attention to paint clogging shotblockers that really understand positioning and timing.

Kel'El Ware, Indiana - Disappointed at Oregon, interested to see if he can bounce back with a larger role. Theoretically a Myles Turner type big who can shoot 3's, catch lobs, and block shots.

Also looking at guards, but haven't seen enough to comment on specific players.

 

Not sure how high he will go, but he is the defensive center the Rockets could use. Everyone else has to be able to shoot, though.

 

Cooper Flag.

DD

 

If he was available....but alas, he won't be in the draft until 2025.

 

I would love to get my hands on it Alex Sarr

 

Donovan Clingan, please and thank you.

 

He looked great defensively in that gleague match. Wonder if he can run some 5.

 

The sad thing about Sarr is that he's has been on everybody's radar. From his time on Spanish/French teams to his time in the OTE and NBL. He's not a hidden talent by any means. He's played on global teams for a while now, so he's not coming out of nowhere.

He kind of reminds me of a Wemby-lite at this point. He has similar skills. I'm suspicious of his 3 pt shot, though I'm guessing that can be worked out. When he went to the NBA 3 pt. line in OTE, he was a mediocre shooter.

I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on him, but I don't think he's even 220 lbs right now and is about 7'1". I don't know how that would fare in the post for any extended minutes, and the few vids of him I watched of him in the past, he kind of played like an oversized wing or something, and I don't think he can guard NBA wings on a nightly basis.

If we somehow wrangle a lottery pick, I'd take a flyer on him ... just because. But in the late-lottery, there will be other C's competing for the Rockets' attention (assuming they go in that direction). Another example of the skinny dude who has SF skills and is a suspect C at the moment is Aaron Bradshaw. He reminds me of another huge wing playing in the post who needs to bulk up to do so.

 

TBD...... I don't think folks appreciate how "flexible" this roster is going to be in terms of what the roster will look like after this season. Most likely it won't be very different, but if a disgruntled mid to late 20s superstar becomes available.....

However, shooting is what comes to mind.

 

Shooting could be an issue, but I'm still not convinced we have a good rim protector yet, but I'm waiting to see if they figure it out.

 

Adem Bona with the Nigeria connection would be nice.

 

Is it too early to scoreboard watch Nets games?

Really hoping Wizards can hold on to this lead as next 5 look tough for Nets. I really hope the Nets play bad enough early that they don't do something stupid at trade deadline that sets them back a few years, but hurting the Rockets in the process.

 

Dammit

 

The only possible answer: a franchise one.

but seriously, depends on the range. Late lotery, we should target a 7footer rim runner. Duren, Lively would be the molds IMO

 

We will see what happens over the course of the rest of the season but I think the Rockets could use a 1 and a 5 to groom as back ups to Sengun and, hopefully, Amen Thompson. My perfect scenario is getting Tyrese Proctor and Adem Bona. Proctor spends a year at RGV while Amen and FVV play the point but then he replaes FVV as Amen's backup in 2025. Bona I think could get minutes as a rookie in much the same way as other rim running, shot blocking bigs.

** Since they dont currently have 2 firsts my backup plan is Reece Beekman out of UVA as a Pat Beverly type 3 and D PG in lieu of Proctor.