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Jeff Withey, Sergei Karasev, Allen Crabbe, Rudy Gobert are Brooklyn Nets pick in mock drafts

By Net Income
Jamie Squire

With the draft order set following Tuesday's lottery (did not watch), the draftniks were out in force Wednesday morning with the first really significant mock draft, if indeed mock drafts can be seen as significant this early ... or at all.

While there's no consensus among the six top mocks, several names continue to be matched against the Nets in the draftnik's picks: Jeff Withey, the 7-foot Kansas center; Sergei Karasev. the hot shooting shooting guard out of Triumph Moscow, and Dario Saric, the 6'10" point forward from K.K. Cibona in Croatia. All three had been projected as the Nets pick in mocks prior to the lottery. Withey is the only player to get selected in two mocks: those published by ESPN and Draft Express. In addition to those three, three other players, Allen Crabbe, the hot shooting Cal guard, and two other Europeans have shown up recently -- Rudy Gobert, the 7'2" French center with the gaudy measurements but raw game, and Giannis Adetokoubo, the 6'10" Greek point guard. Both are viewed as "projects."

There's also a little news in the mocks. Chris Mannix of SI says the Nets hope a big like Gorgiu Dieng of Louisville drops to them, but if not Crabbe is a good choice because "With MarShon Brooks on the trading block, Brooklyn will be on the lookout for a replacement."

Chad Ford apparently thinks the Nets are moving Andray Blatche to power forward since he writes of Withey, "The Nets got a great season out of Brook Lopez, but they don't really have a credible backup for him." For those who have forgotten, Blatche averaged 10 and 5 and finished 15th in PER this season.

Aran Smith of NBADraft.net writes, "The Nets have cap concerns and could look for a European with the possibility to keep him overseas, or trade out."

While NBADraft.net's projection of Gobert at #22 seems low, not everyone was so enamored of his 7'9" wingspan that they ignored his raw game. He may not fall all the way to the Nets, but he will certainly need time and patience to develop.

Later Wednesday, potential second round picks will gather at PNY Center for the first NBA Group Workout, a two-day affair. The Nets don't have a second round pick, but have bought three the last two years..

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