Brooklyn Nets: 2017 NBA Draft Grades
With the 22nd pick, the Brooklyn Nets select Jarrett Allen, Center from Texas
Grade: A
Info and Stats:
Analysis
Jarrett Allen will be the one of the youngest members of the Brooklyn Nets franchise — ever. A one-and-done prospect that played out of position on an underachieving Texas team, Allen dropped from his expected range in the draft. Many mock drafts pegged him as an early teens prospect, ahead of players like Bam Adebayo, Harry Giles, T.J. Leaf and D.J. Wilson, among others. For the Nets, the acquisition of Allen was a step in the right direction for a team needing youth, and in more general terms, talent.
Allen is a still developing, raw prospect (that could be said for like ¾ quarters of every big in the draft, but it applies to Allen.) He projects as an athletic, energetic big man that can dive well to the rim and protect the rim with his ridiculous length. Allen showed comfort with his game at times, and flashes of an energetic two-way player with creativity around the basket. He’ll need to improve on his body and boost his fundamentals, but the Nets’ coaching staff seems committed to developing players, no matter how old.
In Friday’s press conference to introduce Jarrett Allen, Sean Marks eluded to the Nets trying to move up in the draft to select the Texas big. However, he fell right into the Nets’ range at 22, eliminating the need to move up and sacrifice another asset. Additionally, Coach Kenny Atkinson praised every asset of his skillset, in particular his speed and versatility on both ends.
Allen may need a little while to acclimate to the NBA game, but his upside is what made him such an enticing prospect for Sean Marks.
Fit:
Heading into the draft, the Nets really needed rim protection and length. With Brook Lopez no longer manning the center spot, that hole became even more evident, with Timofey Mozgov a likely stopgap salary dump piece and Justin Hamilton more of a perimeter oriented big. The Nets really lacked in true rim protection last season, but Allen’s physical traits could be just what the Nets need. Allen brings a long wingspan (7’5” with 6’10” height) to the Nets. He also provides solid footspeed for a center, which projects well for him as a player that rotates over off ball movement and contains guards on the pick and roll.
Off-court, one of Allen’s hobbies is building computers, showing a somewhat cerebral side. That fits well on a Brooklyn team that already features players that love Dragon Ball Z, majored in Chemistry and Physics, and scored an 800 on the math portion of the SAT. So far, most Nets fans have responded well to the Allen selection. Basketball luminary Nate Duncan called the Nets a winner, praising the Nets’ selection of Allen. Here’s what Sean Marks had to say about the newest Net, the youngest member on the current roster.
But overall, the Nets’ main need in this past draft was talent. Allen’s upside fills that void, with the team unlikely to make any sort of noise for the next few years in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. That’s perfect to develop Allen, either playing spot minutes in NBA games or plying his craft in the newly minted G-League. Overall, the Nets filled their big man craving by taking a shot on a prospect that had dropped a little in the draft. Allen may still have a long ways to go, but he, along with the Nets are just like Zayn and PartyNextDoor, Still Got Time.
With the 57th pick, the Brooklyn Nets select Aleksandar Vezenkov, forward from FC Barcelona Lassa
Grade: B+
Info and Stats:
Analysis:
Vezenkov, although an international, automatic entry into the 2017 Draft, is a 2017 stash candidate. The Bulgarian forward played for a relatively disappointing Barcelona team that finished 11th in EuroLeague competition. Still, Vezenkov’s production in the second best league in the world shouldn’t be discounted. He projects as a stretch forward whenever he decides to make the leap to the NBA.
Vezenkov is an intelligent player on both ends, but his athleticism severely lacks given his production. He has a quick, lefty release, and is comfortable shooting in spot up, pick and pop, and off-ball movement situations. When Vezenkov gets into the interior, he shows solid footwork playing against much larger defenders. So far, Vezenkov was more of a tweener at Barcelona. As an NBA player, he may have to commit to playing power forward, because his lack of mobility and explosiveness could doom him defensively. To further cement his role, he’ll need to bulk up his relatively weak frame. Still, he’s a decent pickup at 57 due to his proven track record and fit on a big time team.
Fit:
The Nets took a sledgehammer and smashed every franchise three point volume record in 2016–2017, an indication of Kenny Atkinson’s high-octane system. However, the Nets were a bottom five team in three-point shooting percentage. While the ideas were in place, the execution wasn’t there. Vezenkov fills the Nets’ needs for shooting, one of the best young shooters in Europe. Synergy ranked him as one of the best point-per-possession players in the entire draft. And he was the 57th selection!
I’ll confess. I love Vezenkov. I’ve been tracking him since the beginning of the 2016–2017 season, knowing he could be available at the Nets’ range. He was consistent and solid on the offensive end, showing tremendous maturity. The only two major success stories ever from the 57th pick are Manu Ginobili and Marcin Gortat. Vezenkov may not be 10-year starters like those two, but if he becomes a solid rotation player, that’s more than enough for the 57th pick.
From the moment Vezenkov was drafted (just after midnight in Brooklyn), it was well known that he would be a “draft and stash” player. So Vezenkov may not be part of the Nets’ short-term plans. Like many deep second round prospects, Vezenkov could stay in Europe, playing high-level competition for the next few years before he decides to make an NBA jump. Whenever he does, anywhere from two to five years down the line, the Nets will acquire a proven shooter that’s been tested in high level competition.
Overall Grade: A-
This was a super solid draft for the Brooklyn Nets. They came into the draft with three picks, at 22, 27 and 57. They parlayed that into D’Angelo Russell via trading the 27 pick (and Brook Lopez) for D’Angelo Russell and drafting Jarrett Allen and Vezenkov. To expand it further, they acquired the 22nd pick by trading Bojan Bogdanovic, a veteran player on an expiring contract.
While Sean Marks could have been a bit more aggressive in acquiring talent in the 2nd round, the selections he made and the Russell acquisition were fine pickups. It further adds to a Nets young core that is starting to take shape — and grow. The Brooklyn Nets still have a ways to go after seeing another one of their picks lost due to the 2013 Celtics deal. But, Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets are heeding Taylor Swift’s advice from track six of her album 1989. (You’re going to have to look that up yourself).
