Brooklyn Nets Draft Preview

Unlike their cross town rivals, the Brooklyn Nets have a pretty good idea what their roster will look like on opening night.  While the Knicks are hoping to add a player who can hopefully contribute right away, the Nets are just looking to add depth to a roster that has most of its rotation players in place.

If you ask around, most people believe the Nets will look to add depth at the center position since heavy minutes for Brook Lopez could spell trouble for the young big mans often injured feet.  There have also been a lot of reports linking Brooklyn to University of New Mexico SF Tony Snell, who would be a great fit in Brooklyn when you consider the fact that Gerald Wallace’s days in black are numbered.

So let’s take a look at who the Nets will be eyeing up with the 22nd pick in this years draft.

Kelly Olynyk: The Gonzaga big man would be a perfect fit for Brooklyn if he lasts until the 22nd pick.  Although his size screams center, the 7 footer projects as more of a 4 in the NBA. One of the Nets most pressing needs is to find some offense out of the PF spot.  Although Reggie Evans is an excellent defender and rebounder, the combination of him and Kris Humpries leaves a big offensive hole at the positon and Olynyk would fill that need.

Gorgui Dieng: Dieng is a 6-11 big man who can play defense and pass the the ball surprisingly well for a man of his size.  Where Dieng comes up short is on the offensive end, where he struggles to be a consistent performer.  Even with the questions surrounding his offensive game Dieng could be a good fit for the Nets at 22 when you consider how offensively minded the player he would be backing up is (Brook Lopez)

Tony Snell: The 6-7 Snell is another player who who can fill a need for Brooklyn.  With Gerald Wallace’s big contract and declining skills, Snell would be a player the Nets can develop at the SF position when inevitably Wallace comes off the books.  Snell is a lengthy wing player with a great shooting touch.  The knock on Snell comes down to his lack of ball handling skills and his slight frame.  If Snell can put on some weight in the next year he has the chance to turn into a very good wing player in the NBA.

Sergey Karasev:  Until a few days ago Sergey Karasev seemed like a real possibility for Brooklyn at 22, but in recent days he has been flying up draft boards which may lead him to be gone by the time the Nets are on the clock.  Karasev has great size at 6-7 and has a great shooting touch.  The 19 year old Russian also is one of the better passers in the draft.  The knock on Karasev is that he is not a great athlete, however his shooting touch should allow him to still flourish in the right situation as a pro.  As a 19 year old Karasev still has a lot of room to grow as a player, and if available would be a great young player for Brooklyn to add to their talented roster.

Recent Draft History
2012: Ilkan Karaman (57)
2011: JaJuan Johnson (27), Jordan Williams (36)
2010: Derrick Favors (3), Jordan Crawford (27), Tibor Pleiss (31)
2009: Terrence Williams (11)
2008: Brook Lopez (10), Ryan Anderson (21), Chris Douglas-Roberts (40)
2007: Sean Williams (17)
2006: Marcus Williams (22), Josh Boone (23), Hassan Adams (54)

Under Contract
G: MarShon Brooks
F: Reggie Evans
F: Kris Humphries
G: Joe Johnson
F: Kris Joseph
C: Brook Lopez
F: Tornike Shengelia
G: Tyshawn Taylor
F: Mirza Teletovic
F: Gerald Wallace
G: Deron Williams

Free Agents
C/F: Andray Blatche
F/G: Keith Bogans
F: Jerry Stackhouse
G: C.J. Watson (player option)

Check back in a few hours for our complete breakdown of the New York Knicks draft day targets.