Brooklyn Nets Select Harry Giles, Jawun Evans In Latest Mock Draft From The Vertical

The Brooklyn Nets select Duke center Harry Giles and Oklahoma State point guard Jawun Evans in the latest mock draft from The Vertical.

The Brooklyn Nets are nearing the end of what has been a disastrous 2016-17 season. The Nets knew coming into the season they were going to struggle to win games, but no one could predict it would be this difficult.

The Nets are currently the worst team in the NBA with a record of 15-57. They are currently six games clear of the Los Angeles Lakers, so they are likely to head into the offseason with the most lottery balls to land the No.1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. That would usually make a poor season a little more tolerable knowing you’d be guaranteed a top-four pick come June.

Unfortunately for the Nets, they will not get to make that pick. The Nets draft pick will be heading to the Boston Celtics because of a trade stipulation from the deal that Billy King made when he acquired Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and D.J. White from Boston. In such a loaded draft class not having a pick near the top hurts. But, the Nets could still find some talented players lower in the first round.

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The Celtics currently hold down the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference and have a legitimate chance of going into the playoffs with the No.1 seed. Because of that the Nets will be picking near the bottom of the first round.

At The Vertical, the Celtics pick lands at No.26 in the first round. In their mock draft, they have the Nets selecting Oklahoma State point guard Jawun Evans. Here is what they have to say about the pick.

"The Nets are still in the market for a long-term solution at point guard, where Jeremy Lin is currently holding down the fort. Evans ranked as the most prolific passer in college basketball in virtually every metric and has quite a bit to offer with his pick-and-roll prowess, midrange shot-making ability and quick hands defensively."

Evans is a nice player. He had a great season in the uptempo system the Cowboys ran, averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Those are good stats, and with head coach Brad Underwood taking the job at Illinois, it makes sense for the sophomore to declare for the draft.

But, this mock draft may have him a little high. Over at ESPN, Chad Ford has Evans ranked as his 57th ranked prospect. He gave him the second round/undrafted projection, so projecting him to go in the first round to the Nets would seem to be a stretch.

The pick that will provide Nets fans with some excitement is the 24th overall pick. The Nets acquired this selection in their deadline deal with the Washington Wizards. The Nets acquired the pick along with Andrew Nicholson and Marcus Thornton in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough.

With this pick, the Nets select Duke center, Harry Giles. Here is what The Vertical had to say about this selection.

"The Nets may look to take a flyer on Giles, who was once considered one of the top prospects in this class before suffering multiple knee injuries. At this stage in the draft, he could emerge as a steal if he’s able to rediscover the athleticism and intensity level that made him such a coveted prospect."

Coming into the season Giles was in discussions for a top pick. He was viewed as a lottery talent, but injuries have clouded his draft status. He has had ACL surgery on both knees, which will raise a red flag for many teams. The injuries really slowed Giles down on the court his freshman season.

Giles played only 11.5 minutes per game. He flashed his potential in that time, showing off his combination of explosive athleticism and size. But, given his lack of playing time and injury history, it would be difficult for a team to take a chance on him in the lottery.

That is where the Nets could hit a home run. In a rebuild and with two first-round picks, the Nets can afford to take chances. Giles, based on talent alone, is a clear-cut lottery pick. The other aspects is what will knock him down the draft board, to which the Nets could benefit from.

If the Nets have a chance to select Giles, they have to jump at it. He will not have pressure right off the bat, as the Nets will presumably have Brook Lopez still starting. The Evans selection is a head scratcher, as there are other players that can help out right away and have higher potential than Evans.

Next: Brooklyn Nets: 5 Trade Destinations For Brook Lopez

While not having a top pick hurts, the Nets can make up for that with multiple picks. If you cannot get a top-four pick to change the course of the franchise, adding as many picks as possible to find talent is the next best way to do it.

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