Brooklyn Nets: Could Deng Adel play a role long term?

Recent signing Deng Adel likely won’t play a role for the Brooklyn Nets next season, but is it possible he could contribute in the future?

For Brooklyn Nets fans who are asking “Who’s Deng Adel?”, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team in late July. An Exhibit 10 includes a one-year minimum salary ($1.4 million) and allows the Nets to transfer Adel to the G League if he is cut during training camp.

(FYI: NBA teams can sign three Exhibit 10 deals and two two-way contracts. Adel is the first Exhibit 10 player signed by the team, while Henry Ellenson is the one player signed to a two-way deal thus far).

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(Credit to NBA.com for statistics and NBA for GIFs) 

Background

Adel was born in Sudan but his family moved to Australia when he was 8.  He picked up basketball at 14 and went on to have a solid three-year run at the University of Louisville before pursuing a professional career.

After going undrafted in 2018, the 22-year-old spent his rookie year in the G League, playing for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors G League affiliates. He appeared in 19 NBA games with the Cavaliers, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.

Skill set analysis

Adel will most likely spend 2019-20 in the G League, but it’s possible he could get called up on occasion. At 6-foot-7, he provides athleticism and defensive capabilities at the guard/wing position.

He’s been able to defend without fouling throughout his basketball career, posting the 58th-lowest fouls per 40 minutes rate in the nation his junior season at 1.7. He posted a rate of 1.9 in the G League last season, suggesting this has translated.

He’s also quite comfortable in a lead guard role, as he got the chance to handle the ball a lot towards the end of his college career.

Like many players in the modern NBA, developing a consistent 3-point shot will be the key for Adel. He shot only 41-for-127 (32.3 percent) in the G League and 6-23 (26.1 percent) in 19 NBA games.

Adel shot a respectable 34.8 percent over his college career, so it’s not at as if he needs to build a shot from scratch. His solid free throw percentage (77.9 percent in G League) bodes well for his shot as well.

Strong close to Summer League

Before signing with the Nets, Adel played the most recent Summer League with the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.2 points per game on 47 percent shooting in five games.

Despite an up-and-down performance, his final Summer League outing against the Denver Nuggets may very well be the reason the Nets signed him.

Adel dropped 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting (3-of-5 from long range) and added seven assists. He couldn’t have picked a better time to show arguably the best version of himself: a secondary creator that can knock down a 3-pointer and provide athleticism on both ends of the floor.

If Adel shows progress in the G League next season, it won’t be surprising if Brooklyn keeps him in the organization (restricted free agent in 2020). It’s difficult to forecast at this point, but the Nets have been a solid place for player development in recent seasons.

Perhaps there’s reason to be optimistic.