Brooklyn Nets: 4 options with the 19th pick in the NBA Draft

Team needs for the Brooklyn Nets

Every mock draft is different, so it’s difficult to get a perfect sense of which players will be available at pick No. 19. I looked at the most recent 1st round mock drafts from NBC Sports, CBS, The Ringer, and Sports Illustrated and compiled a list of every player projected in the 14-24 range (20 total). I then charted each mock’s projection for these players, listing them by average pick selection (used ’31’ for 2nd round).

Wings, wings, wings in the NBA draft

So which players should the Nets be targeting? The Nets are well-positioned at the guard position with Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie and (if re-signed) 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). If Allen were to be traded, however, a young big might be a reasonable pick.

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. Although Durant’s return will do wonders for the team’s wing position, and LeVert can excel in this role as well, Brooklyn needs more depth in this area (especially if LeVert is traded and Temple or Chandler leave in free agency this fall).

Each of Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler, Garrett Temple, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (wings averaged at least 15 minutes per game) can perform well on a given night, but the Nets need 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 that shot better than 34.0 percent this past season, and although this was encouraging, he’s yet to prove himself as a consistent shooter.

Prince: 33.9 percent (6.7 attempts per game)

Chandler: 30.6 percent (3.5)

Temple: 32.9 percent (6.2)

Luwawu-Cabarrot: 38.8 percent  (3.4)

Despite a super cold stretch before the season came to a halt (28.4 percent from three over last 15 – didn’t join team in Orlando), Prince remains the best offensive player of the quartet. Both Temple and Luwawu-Cabarrot 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 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. 19, but it’s worth exploring some prospects that could potentially fit the bill. Depending on the prospect, the ‘best player available’ approach might make sense, but generally speaking, the front office should be targeting wings (rather than guards or big men).