Brooklyn Nets: Team should target wings in NBA draft

There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the NBA Draft, but when it does take place after the season, who should the Brooklyn Nets target?

With the NBA season proceeding in a revised format, this will bring renewed speculation about how the season will play out. For fans of teams who aren’t title contenders, the conversation will likely center on the NBA draft. Although Brooklyn Nets supporters have surely dreamed of Kevin Durant returning from injury and leading the team to a title, all signs suggest this is unlikely.

So although the Nets are close to locks to make the playoffs (currently the seventh seed), looking ahead to the draft is understandable. Trading for Taurean Prince deprived the Nets of their first-round pick this year, but they have the rights to the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-rounder due to a draft-night trade in 2019.

It’s unclear how much the draft order will fluctuate with the remaining regular season games in Orlando. Based on the current draft order, however, the Nets would pick 20th, aided by a somewhat disappointing season from Philadelphia.

Assuming the pick holds its place, or is at least in this range, what type of player should the front office be targeting? Depending on the prospect, the ‘best player available’ approach might make sense, but generally speaking, the Brooklyn Nets should be targeting wings (rather than guards or big men).

Wings, Wings, Wings

The Nets are positioned well at the guard position with Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris, and prototypical wings in Caris LeVert and Kevin Durant can provide ball-handling as well. On the interior, the roster has a nice mix of Jarrett Allen (solid player with room for more development), DeAndre Jordan (veteran presence) and Nic Claxton (developing, high-ceiling option).

Given how much versatility and ‘positionless basketball’ is valued in the modern NBA, a team can almost never have too many solid wings on its roster. Depending on the lineup, a solid two-way wing has the size and ability to play anywhere from the 2-5 spots.

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Although Durant’s return will do wonders for the team’s wing position, and LeVert can excel in this role as well, the team needs more depth in this area.

Each of Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler, Garrett Temple, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (wings averaging at least 15 minutes per game) can perform well on a given night, but Brooklyn needs more from its supporting wings to become a true contender.

3-point shooting has been one of the problems. Luwawu-Cabarrot is the only one of the four shooting better than 34.0 percent, and he’s only doing so on 2.8 attempts per game.

Prince: 33.9 percent (6.7 attempts per game)

Chandler: 30.6 percent (3.5)

Temple: 32.4 percent (6.3)

Luwawu-Cabarrot: 35.8 percent  (2.8)

Despite a super cold stretch before the season came to a halt (28.4 percent from three over last 15), Prince remains the best offensive player of the quartet. Both Temple and Luwawu-Cabarrot can do some positive things defensively.

Still, the Nets need more. Perhaps the answer will come from one of their less utilized wings like Rodions Kurucs, David Nwaba or Dzanan Musa, but this is far from likely. Maybe the answer will come from a trade or free agency, but if not, Brooklyn could use some talented young wing talent – someone who can bring the consistency Prince and Luwau-Cabarrot have lacked and/or the explosiveness Temple (34) and Chandler (33) can’t muster.

It’s unclear whether the front office can find this type of player at No. 20, but it’s worth exploring some prospects that could potentially fit the bill.

Potential Draft Targets

Jaden McDaniels – Washington

Not only is McDaniels ranked 23rd, 27th and 22nd on three big boards (making him a realistic pick), two mock drafts (Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report) have the Brooklyn Nets taking him. His length and athleticism make him a versatile defender, and he’s a capable ball-handler for a player of his size. McDaniels might not have shot the lights out in college (33.9 percent from three), but his stroke suggests he could become a capable shooter (76.3 percent from foul line).

McDaniels had an up-and-down freshman season, posting more turnovers than assists and only shooting 40.5 percent from the field. His slim frame (6’9″, 200 lbs) is a concern as well, but he has a lot of upside if he can put on some muscle.

Takeaway: McDaniels would be one of the more athletic players on Brooklyn’s roster from day one. If he becomes a consistent outside shooter, he could be exactly what the team needs.

Saddiq Bey – Villanova

Ranked 21st, 21st and 18thon the same three draft boards, Bey is another realistic pick. As discussed, the Nets are in need of better shooting from the wing position, and the 6’8″ forward would be perfect in this regard. Of 109 NCAA players that made at least 75 threes last season, Bey had the second-best 3-point percentage (a blistering 45.1 percent).

Not only was he efficient from two as well (50.0 percent), he’s regarded as a versatile defender that uses his sturdy frame (216 lbs) to his advantage. Although he could use improvement as a ball-handler (most effective as a spot-up shooter), Bey was an exceptional all-around college player. The main question mark is whether he has the requisite athleticism to translate to the next level.

Takeaway: A lack of explosiveness could limit Bey’s ceiling, but at the very least, he projects as a solid role player that could be instantly impactful for Brooklyn as a shooter.

Conclusion

Perhaps Brooklyn’s front office will go the ‘best player available’ route and take a guard or big man, but if they’re drafting for need, a wing is definitely the way to go. Want athleticism and upside? McDaniels is a strong option. Prefer a ‘sure thing’ and a strong shooter? Bey might be the guy.

Regardless of who the team drafts, the pick really does matter! Even the Brooklyn Nets’ skeptics have to admit the organization has a path toward championship contention over the next few seasons. This year’s first-round pick could become an important piece of this puzzle.