Brooklyn Nets 2023 NBA Draft grades
The Brooklyn Nets have officially completed their 2023 NBA Draft as they have made their three selections and have introduced those players to the media and the fanbase. To recap, the Nets had three picks in the draft: 21st overall, 22nd overall, and 51st overall.
With those picks, they selected Alabama forward Noah Clowney, Duke wing Dariq Whitehead, and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, respectively. Now that the draft is done, the rest of the league can turn its attention to free-agency, summer league, etc.
Before we get there, it would be interesting to review Brooklyn’s draft and give out grades for each pick. The Nets did not have a lottery pick and even though there were rumors about Brooklyn packaging at least one of their picks to move up, nothing came to fruition. That will not necessarily play a part in these roles, but it should be pointed out that the Nets essentially had the chance to move up, but chose to pick players for the organization to develop:
21st pick - forward Noah Clowney
While most experts in the NBA space would say that the draft is for teams to pick the best player available as opposed to worrying about how the player fits, it seems that the Nets were able to accomplish both with their pick of Clowney. While Clowney may not be able to get on the floor right away given the depth on Brooklyn, he appears to be someone who could eventually take over the power forward spot if his shot comes along.
Brooklyn also needed to address their guards and bigs at some point in this offseason and it looks like they chose to use some of their draft capital to achieve that. Clowney can contribute immediately as a defender on the interior and on the perimeter and when his body fills out, he should be able to be a force on the defensive end.
Grade: B+
22nd pick - wing Dariq Whitehead
Whitehead is an interesting draft prospect because of how his draft stock changed due to his right foot injury. At one point, Whitehead was projected as a top-5 pick in the draft because of how good he was in high school.
However, he had a foot injury that delayed the start of his freshman season at Duke and since he was finally able to play, he looked like a lesser version of himself. While he was still effective at some of the things that made him an upper-echelon prospect, such as his shooting and his ability to create space off the dribble, it was clear that he lacked his prior explosiveness on both ends of the floor.
While there are reports that Whitehead should be fully ready to go for training camp, foot injuries are just one of those injuries that can be unpredictable. However, taking Whitehead with this pick is an upside play and assuming that Whitehead is able to overcome his foot issue and get close to his prior form, the Nets have an absolute steal late in the first round.
Grade: B
51st pick - forward Jalen Wilson
Wilson was a solid pick given where the draft was at in terms of players at this point. Brooklyn chose a player who showed significant progression as he went from a role player on a championship-winning team to a player who could be the focal point of the squad while still having title aspirations.
It’s hard to see where Wilson’s role will be in the NBA given the fact that he seems to be a tweener between a 3 and a 4 on the court. He would be a bit undersized to guard most NBA 4’s and may not be athletic enough to guard 3’s on a regular basis.
However, if Wilson can get his three-point shot together, he can provide value to the Nets through being a wing who can shoot the ball and possibly take advantage of mismatches when the opportunity arises. Ultimately, being a late second-round pick means that Wilson has to prove that he belongs, but he should have the chance to get reps in the summer league and the G League to find his role.
Grade: C+
