What type of player to target with 2024 Nets pick?

They've done surprisingly well without their best player for 3 weeks, but still expect them to fall back.

 

Dude is a menace. Really interesting player. Playing next to a floor spacing big like Jabari would mitigate some of his shooting deficiencies.

A couple names I've started keeping tabs on:

Yves Missi. 6'10 PF/C. Baylor. Reminds me of young DeAndre Jordan. Athletic rim runner, lob finisher, and shot blocker. I think he has the mobility and length to match up with the "unicorn" bigs a la Holmgren and Wembanyama. Verrrry raw.

Trevon Brazile. 6'10 PF/C. Arkansas. Dunk of the year explosiveness. Shooting 45% behind the arc on a healthy 3 attempts a game. A shade under 2 blocks a game. John Collins-ish skillset without the polish, but I think he could have better defensive instincts.

Melvin Ajinca. 6'7 wing. Saint Quentin (France). Decent athlete, great shooter. His stats in the French pro league aren't great, but he's only 19 and put together some impressive tape in international competition. Just splashing 3s in defender's faces. Rockets could use more shooting, and this kid is a fearless gunner that can shoot on the move.

Robert Dillingham. 6'1 guard. Kentucky. Shifty, flashes high level shotmaking and playmaking. The passing and creation for others looks improved from his time in OTE. Undersized, which affects his defense and scoring at the rim. I think he'd be a good understudy to FVV, who has similar strengths and weaknesses.

 

There is another Alperen Sengun in this year’s draft: Reed Sheppard. I’ll come back to this on draft night.

 

I would say that it depends on who is on the team, in the rotation, next season.

There's a lot of **** up in the air with this roster. They have talent, but so much more than that...they need fit, no more square pegs in round holes.

Could be a wing(or 2), could be PG, could be C, could be wtf knows?

 

I'd say Topic fits more the Sengun comp as a young guy producing against better than college players.

Sheppard is a high level processor, with a super 3 point shot, and a knack for getting hands on the ball defensively. I have a hard time watching Kentucky as I want to see what happens if Sheppard dominated the actions.

 

Zvonimir Ivisic with a hell of a debut.

 

reed sheppard

 

Not sure how he relates to Sengun. But, yes, this is the guy I want us to get.

My concern is that he won't be available when we pick. I'd even trade up for him depending on how things shake out between now and the draft.

 

Reed Sheppard - a playmaking white guy shooting 40%+ from three and averaging over 2 steals per game. John Stockton 2.0

 

Both were statistical monsters but undervalued by draft boards

 

We still need an alpha who can establish dominance. Nobody has risen to that status level on our roster. And you need at least one. We gotta find a way to get one.

 

On the board I like, he was 6th nearly 2 months ago and probably in the Top 3 if Vecenie updated it today. If Sheppard keeps playing like this, he won't be available close to the 13th pick.

 

If we move on from Jalen and build around Sengun, Jabari, Cam, Amen and Tari, I think a guy like Reed Sheppard would be a great fit. Usually a 6'3" combo guard without great athleticism wouldn't sniff the lottery, but this year's class is thin, and Sheppard makes up for it with elite shooting, decision making and defensive instincts (3.4spg per36).

And he's a connecting piece, which is huge next to Cam, plus his shooting helps to offset Amen's shortcomings. And all the length/athleticism we already have helps to cover for any physical disadvantages he has.

I'm actually more sold on him and his teammate Dillingham (Garland meets Brandon Jennings) than most of the other lotto guys this year.

 

He's actually better than 40% and I'd love the pick. We definitely need good shooters, especially from behind the arc. He's also good on defense, which is a plus.

54.3 FG% and 55.3 3PT%

Sheppard doesn’t even start for Kentucky, but he’s currently putting together one of the greatest freshmen seasons in recent memory, with a box plus/minus that trails only Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and Michael Beasley. Sheppard is the best shooter in the class: he’s making 54.1 percent of his three-pointers on 61 attempts, and he’s 84 percent from the foul line. He has a super quick release, deep range, and a willingness to fire them in transition. Sheppard is also a major playmaker defensively: he has magnets for hands to rack up steals and blocks, and is always giving second efforts to finish plays.

 

We need a lengthy hustle dawg player like Tari.

 

Player with high feel. Super smart dogs.

I hope we draft Reed Sheppard. Unassuming measurements. But don’t be fooled (a la Bane). He’s this year’s Podz, with an even better feel and shooting profile.

One of the best BPM in college basketball history (nearly 12! Similar to AD and Zion in terms of impact on both ends of the floor). Cerebral, poised and unselfish player. Able to read fast both in transition and in half court. Long term solution to 1/2 (especially after Fred is phased out, as a back up / complement to Amen / Cam and Green / star. )

 

Not sure who will be there when the Rockets pick, obviously, but I've watched a lot of Ja'Kobe Walter as a Baylor fan, and I really like the kid. Not only does he look like a scorer...but he gives a ton of effort on defense. More than a lot of guys who are heralded as "a bucket." He'll go in the top 10, I'd assume, barring injury or something unforeseen.

 

I think we might need a top 4 pick to get Reed Sheppard.

It will be fascinating to see where things fall. There is (currently) a 20.2% chance we have 2 lottery picks. And a 46.4% chance we are picking top 4 (as of today's standings) - for reference Detroit has a 52.1% chance of being top 4, and our odds of being top 4 are currently 5th best overall (ie, I'm saying there's a chance!!)

If we happened to luck into 2 lotto picks, I'd be partial to trading at least one of them for something of substance