Brooklyn Nets: 5 options for pick No. 27 in 2019 NBA Draft

4. Kevin Porter Jr.

Kevin Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets seemed much more likely when they held the No. 17 pick in the draft, but he’s worth mentioning here since he’s someone Brooklyn has worked out and scouted hard.

The former five-star recruit is one of the more polarizing prospects in this year’s class; some view him as a late lottery selection, while others think he will last until somewhere in the 20s. We’ve seen players like Perry Jones III and Robert Williams experience unforeseen draft-day falls, and if Porter is this year’s fall candidate, the Nets would be thrilled to snatch him up.

All the tools are there for KPJ, but the production didn’t always match his talent level during his lone season at USC. He can create for himself, defend on the wing and knocked down 28 of the 68 threes he attempted as a freshman. However, he only played in 21 games due to a combination of an early season quad injury and mid-January suspension for undisclosed personal conduct reasons. He also shot just 52.2 percent from the free throw line and averaged more turnovers (1.9 per game) than assists (1.4 per game).

With Caris LeVert and Joe Harris being firm starters on the wing, Brooklyn could afford to bring Porter along slowly and allow him to grow as a facilitator and team player before relying on him for heavy minutes. In fact, this selection would be a little reminiscent of the LeVert pick in 2014, with a former top recruit that may slip in the draft due to an injury and limited sample size.