DRAFT WATCH #2: Still too early but draftniks like Patrick Williams for Nets

No, we don’t know when the NBA Draft will take place, nor the Draft Lottery. The NBA has given teams rules and guidelines for interviewing and working them out individually via Zoom or FaceTime.

As Sean Marks has said, the Draft this year will be a challenge, but also an opportunity.

As for the Draft, which may or may not take place on June 25, Marks said the premature end of the NCAA season as well as the uncertain status of the NBA Combine in May and even workouts will hurt. However, he noted that the Nets already have a wealth of knowledge.

“The biggest challenge for potentially everybody is the lack of exposure to these athletes,” Marks said. “This is a case where you trust the work that your scouting department has done for the last year or two years.”

The Nets currently have the 20th and 55th picks in the Draft.

So, is there a consensus who the Nets might like in the first round (assuming Marks doesn’t trade it). It appears there is and it’s Patrick Williams, the 6’8” small forward from Florida State. Of the 15 mock drafts we track, Williams is linked to the Nets by five of them. It’s unlikely that the draftniks have an inside track, but Williams does fit with the Nets plans.

As Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reports...

It took Williams some time during his freshman season, but he eventually came on in a big way. Over his final 10 games, he averaged 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and nearly a block per game. And he did all of that at 18 years old while playing for a top-10 team in the country. He’s 6-foot-8 with darn near a 7-foot wingspan, and his reactivity to what’s happening around him is superb. I don’t know that he’s an elite-level athlete in terms of explosiveness, but he’s a good one whose feel for the game is strong.

The Nets, set at both the ballhandler and the center positions, should be looking to add guys who can play as wings and forwards.

Here’s some highlights...

Other than Williams, there’s some sentiment for Aaron Nesmith, a shooting guard out of Vanderbilt. He showed up in three mocks as the Nets first round selection. Aleksej Pokusevski, a Serbian seven-footer who plays in Greece, was linked to the Nets in two mocks. In the second round, two draftniks like 6’8” Paul Eboua, a Cameroonian who plays in Italy.

And here’s the 13 mocks, some as recent as today, a couple from middle March. Enjoy, my basketball-starved friends...

ESPN

21. Josh Green, 6’6” SG, Arizona freshman

55. Paul Eboua, 6’8” SF, Cameroon via Pesaro (20)

NBADraft.net

20. Reggie Perry, 6’9” PF, Mississippi State sophomore

55. Paul Eboua, 6’8” SF, Cameroon via Pesaro (20)

Sports Illustrated

20. Patrick Williams, 6’8” SF, Florida State freshman

The Athletic

20. Patrick Williams, 6’8” SF, Florida State freshman

55. Kristian Doolittle, 6’7” SF, Oklahoma senior

The Ringer

20. Aleksej Pokusevski, 7’0” PF, Serbia via Olympiakos (18)

Bleacher Report

20. Jaden McDaniels, 6’9” SF/PF, Washington freshman

Tankathon

20. Aaron Nesmith, 6’6” SG, Vanderbilt sophomore

55. Neemias Queta, 6’6” SF, Utah State sophomore

CBS Sports

20. Patrick Williams, 6’8” SF, Florida State freshman

NBC Sports

19. Patrick Williams, 6’8” SF, Florida State freshman

The Sporting News

20. Aaron Nesmith, 6’6” SG, Vanderbilt sophomore

55. Romeo Weems, 6’7” SF, DePaul freshman

Yahoo! Sports

22. Jalen Smith, 6’10” C, Maryland sophomore

55. Markus Howard, 5’11” PG, Marquette senior

24/7 Sports

21. Aleksej Pokusevski, 7’0” PF, Serbia via Olympiakos (18)

SBNation

18. Aaron Nesmith, 6’6” SG, Vanderbilt sophomore

FanSided

18. Patrick Williams, 6’8” SF, Florida State freshman

New York Post

20. Tyrese Maxey, 6’3” PG, Kentucky freshman

• What will the Nets do in the 2020 draft? - Kristian Winfield - New York Daily News