DRAFT WATCH #4: Mock drafts offer few clues about Nets intentions

At this point in time — and really until the night of June 21 — the only relevant mock drafts are the ones you can’t access, the individual teams’ assessments, 1 through 60, of 2018 Draft talent. Those are stored on computers from Boston to L.A.

For example, in 2016, the Nets reportedly had Caris LeVert at No. 11 while the highest any draftnik projected the often injured Michigan wing was 38th. Isaiah Whitehead, who most mocks had in the 40’s and 50’s, was reportedly 18th on the Nets board. In both cases, the Nets moved up on Draft Night to take them, LeVert at 22; Whitehead at 42.

Last year, the Nets had Jarrett Allen as a top 10 pick and early in the spring, so did a number of mocks, but as he kept dropping on Draft Night, the Nets kept hoping he’d fall to them and he did at No. 22.

We don’t know a thing about the Nets mock draft and in fact it is a dynamic document, as players declare, reclassify and more information becomes available.

None of that, of course, is stopping the draftniks who compose mocks for websites across the Internet!

As of Tuesday morning, the Nets have three picks as our draft guru, @GNYR reports...

As he notes, the final order may not be known until THURSDAY when the league breaks ties at his midtown offices. (Unlike playoff seedings, draft slot ties are decided by lot, not by conference or division records, head-to-head records, etc.)

ALL that said, the mocks are getting a little more consistent among themselves. A number of things to note:

—This year’s draft is deep but top heavy ... with a drop-off after the tenth pick;

—It’s looking a lot better than the 2019 Draft;

—The best players in the class are bigs (just like last year’s was a point guard draft);

—A number of players associated with the Nets —Mo Wagner, Hamidou Diallo, Chandler Hutchison, Rodion Kurucs— all like they’ll be available around where the Nets pick. Only three players, Wagner, Syracuse’s Tyus Battle and BC’s Jerome Robinson, appear on more than one mock.

Three other players, Diallo, UNLV’s Brandon McCoy and SMU’s Shake Milton, appear on only mock each this time around but in past mocks, they’ve been regularly linked to Brooklyn.

ESPN

29. Tyus Battle, 6’7” SG, Syracuse, Sophomore

40. Jerome Robinson, 6’5” SG, Boston College, Junior

45. Travon Duval, 6’3” PG, Duke, Freshman

Tankathon

29. Chandler Hutchison, 6’7” SG, Boise State, Senior

40. Grayson Allen, 6’5” SG/PG, Duke, Senior

46. Keenan Evans, 6’3” PG, Texas Tech, Senior

NBADraft.net

29. Brandon McCoy, 7’0” C, UNLV, Freshman

40. Isaac Bonga, 6’9” SF, Frafort Frankfurt, 18

45. Shake Milton, 6’6” PG/SG, SMU, Junior

Sports Illustrated

28. Jerome Robinson, 6’5” SG, Boston College, Junior

40. Justin Jackson, 6’7” SF, Maryland, Sophomore

43. Hamidou Diallo, 6’5” SG, Kentucky

Basketball Insiders

28. Chimezi Metu, 6’11” C, USC, Junior

40. Kris Wilkes, 6’7” SF, UCLA, Freshman

46. Jarred Vanderbilt, 6’9” SF, Kentucky, Freshman

CBS Sports

28. Troy Brown, 6’7” G, Oregon, Freshman

NJ.com

28. Tyus Battle, 6’7” SG, Syracuse, Sophomore

Bleacher Report

29. Moritz Wagner, 6’11” C, Michigan, Junior

Hashtage Basketball

29. Moritz Wagner, 6’11” C, Michigan, Junior

Note as well that the Nets could add another pick on Draft Night, either via a trade (ya never know) or cash considerations. The Nets have $5.1 million to play with.

As we’ve noted, based on history, the more likely situation on the night of June 21 is “What just happened?!”