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Brooklyn Nets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) high fives small forward Thaddeus Young (30) after hitting the go-ahead shot against the New York Knicks with two second left during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) high fives small forward Thaddeus Young (30) after hitting the go-ahead shot against the New York Knicks with two second left during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brooklyn Nets
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Chris McCullough (Syracuse) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twenty-nine overall pick to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Draft

With the 29th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Nets chose one of the best available players on the board by taking Syracuse’s Chris McCullough. McCullough will miss the upcoming season recovering from the ACL tear he sustained in January, but if it weren’t for that injury, this 6’10” power forward might have been a lottery selection.

McCullough averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in his half-season with the Orange, and his mobility, athleticism, and ability to stretch the floor makes him a tantalizing prospect at only 20 years old. For a team taking a long-term approach, McCullough was a gamble worth the potential risk, especially that late in the first round.

Hell, I like what the Nets did with their draft pick more than what the Atlanta Hawks did, which is ironic since Brooklyn had to swap their No. 15 pick with Atlanta’s No. 29 selection because of the Joe Johnson trade.

But that’s not all the Nets accomplished in this year’s draft, since they added more future talent with a draft-day trade of Mason Plumlee and the No. 41 pick (Pat Connaughton) to the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 23 pick and Steve Blake, who was later traded to the Detroit Pistons for Quincy Miller. With that selection, Brooklyn added one of the more underrated players in this year’s draft class in Arizona’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a potentially elite defender.

His lack of a jump shot will undoubtedly be what holds his career back if he never pans out, but Hollis-Jefferson is an extremely versatile defender who can guard multiple positions. He’s a stellar athlete, a hard worker and an infectious personality who will be beneficial to a locker room that has lacked leadership and unity for years.

In 10 NBA Summer League games, RHJ certainly lived up to his billing as a useful player who can’t shoot. Though he averaged an impressively well-balanced 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, he only shot 36.8 percent from the floor and 21.6 percent from three-point range.

If he can develop a serviceable perimeter shot, Hollis-Jefferson will be an excellent addition, especially since re-signing Mason Plumlee was going to be a tricky proposition for Brooklyn anyway.

Finally, Brooklyn bought Charlotte’s second round pick at No. 39, Juan Vaulet, an athletic wing who will be a draft-and-stash selection in Argentina for the time being. These rookies may not be ready to contribute much now, but it’s hard to ignore their upside with the long-term strategy in mind.

Grade: A-

Next: No Brooklyn Without Brook

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