Brooklyn Nets Select Omer Yurtseven In Chad Ford Mock Draft

With the 24th overall pick in his 2017 Mock Draft, Chad Ford has the Brooklyn Nets selecting North Carolina State Wolfpack center Omer Yurtseven.

The Brooklyn Nets are having about as poor a season as people had projected them to have. They currently have the worst record in the NBA at 8-25. With Jeremy Lin battling hamstring injuries throughout the season, the Nets haven’t had the firepower to keep up with opposing teams.

With such a poor record, the Nets are well on their way to securing a top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Unfortunately for the currently Brooklyn regime, the old one didn’t do them any favors.

The Nets 2017 first round pick is not actually owned by them. They will have to send it to the Boston Celtics, who have the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets thanks to the trade Billy King signed off on that landed aged veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry in Brooklyn.

As a result, the Nets, despite more than likely finishing with one of the worst records in the NBA, will be picking towards the end of the draft. The Celtics are entrenched in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and will more than likely not be in the lottery. That means the Nets will be picking in the mid-late 20’s.

Chad Ford uses ESPN’s Basketball Power Index to determine the order for his mock draft. In his first Mock Draft of 2017, he has the Nets landing in the 24th spot. With the No.24 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Ford mocks the Nets to select North Carolina State center Omer Yurtseven.

This one has got to hurt Nets fans. They know they are not going anywhere in the near future and stockpiling big time talent at the top of drafts would be nice. Unfortunately, the Celtics will reap those rewards, as they are projected to pick second overall courtesy of the Nets.

Here is what Ford has to say about Yurtseven with the 24th pick.

"The Nets have to be hurting. They could be drafting a player such as Lonzo Ball, had former GM Billy King not traded their future for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce a few years ago.Yurtseven is a bit of a sleeper. He got a late start to the season because of some NCAA eligibility issues, but he’s big and skilled, and he can do what NBA teams want modern bigs to do — shoot and protect the rim.He isn’t a great athlete, nor will he be ready right away, but the Nets have to think about the future."

When a team is selecting this low in the draft they are usually looking to select high-upside players to develop. Playoff teams usually pick this low so their rosters are usually set in place. That is not the case for the Nets, who are as far away from the postseason as any team currently in the NBA.

While the Nets would love the chance to select someone such as Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, or Malik Monk, they will just not have that opportunity because of decisions made in the past. As a result, they are looking to strike gold with someone whose skill set fits in the modern NBA but is very raw.

Yurtseven has played in only five games thus far for NC State but shows promise. He is averaging 9.3 points on 52.6 percent shooting in 23.6 minutes per game. It is impressive given that NC State has five other players already averaging double-figures in scoring, including projected top-five pick Dennis Smith.

Yurtseven’s 5.2 rebounds are fourth on the team and his 1.8 assists are third. He has professional experience already overseas, playing for Fenerbahce in Turkey from 2013-2016. That is probably part of the reason his season at NC State was delayed, but he is eligible to play now and will continue seeing his role with the Wolfpack increase as the season goes on.

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Yurtseven is an intriguing prospect given his size and skills. But fans will undoubtedly be disappointed with whomever is selected this low knowing that they should have had a top-four pick this season.

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