Early, early, early ESPN Mock Draft has Nets taking big men

It is one of our mantras: it’s never too early to talk about the Draft! And FINALLY, this year, there’s ample reason to talk early and often. The Nets currently have two picks in the first round and another near the top of the second. Only the 76ers are likely to have more in the top 35. They have two firsts and four seconds, two of which should be high.

So who does draftnik Jonathan Givony think the Nets will take, using Kevin Pelton’s win-loss projections? The Nets, he believes, will go big with their two firsts, their own at No. 11 and Denver’s at 25 as well as the Knicks at 35.

With their own pick (first since 2013 in case you forgot), Givony has the Nets taking Arkansas center Daniel Gafford, a traditional 6’11” center. He’s hyper-athletic for his height. A bit raw, he took some good advice and reclassified from the 2018 Draft, with its surplus of bigs, to this year’s, which is seen as weak.

At No. 25, Givony has Brooklyn taking Jaylen Hoard, a French big man who plays at Wake Forest. Hoard can play the 4 or the 3, according to ESPN. A freshman, he was a five-star recruit out of High Point, N.C. Another hyper athlete from France, which tends to produce a lot of them.

Finally (as of now), ESPN has the Nets using the Knicks pick, projected at No. 35, to take a local product, Syracuse’s Oshae Brissett, who at 6’8” can play multiple positions, including as a secondary playmaker. The Nets acquired this pick in the Philadelphia deal that brought Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn for Trevor Booker.

Of course, a LOT can happen between now and June, including trades where the Nets could add (or subtract) picks. But like we said, expect a lot of copy this season on the Draft. NETS HAVE OUR OWN PICK!

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