Brooklyn Nets Select Alec Peters In Recent NBA Mock Draft On The Vertical

Mar 20, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Valparaiso Crusaders forward Alec Peters (25) dribbles the ball around Maryland Terrapins forward Evan Smotrycz (1) during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Valparaiso Crusaders forward Alec Peters (25) dribbles the ball around Maryland Terrapins forward Evan Smotrycz (1) during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets select Alec Peters of Valparaiso in Jonathan Givony’s NBA Mock Draft on The Vertical.

The Brooklyn Nets currently hold the worst record in the NBA at 9-45. They are the last team in the league without double-digit victories and are 7.5 games clear of the next worst team, the Phoenix Suns.

While the losses are tough to handle and are taking their toll on the team, the NBA Draft will usually provide something to look forward to. Unfortunately for the Nets, that is not the case.

With a record as poor as they have, the Nets draft pick is ticketed for the top of the lottery, at worst the fourth overall pick. But, Brooklyn does not own their pick; the Boston Celtics do. The Celtics have the right to swap picks with the Nets as a stipulation in the trade former general manager Billy King completed when he acquired Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and D.J. White.

That trade did not accomplish what King had hoped and crippled the franchise. That deal was completed in 2013, but the Nets will feel the impact from it for multiple more years as they rebuild the roster basically from the ground up.

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The one positive this season is that the Nets at least have a first round pick from Boston, as they will swap; in 2016 and in 2018 the Celtics outright own the Nets pick without having to swap. While the pick will not be in the lottery, having a selection is better than having nothing at all.

Selecting in the mid-late 20’s will probably not yield a superstar for the Nets, but it will give them a chance to add another young player to help build the foundation. Mock drafts have had the Nets going in different directions, as Chad Ford has them selecting point guard Andrew Jones in his most recent mock draft; in his first one, Ford had the Nets selecting big man Omer Yurtseven.

This time, Jonathan Givony of The Vertical has the Nets selecting 26th overall. With the 26th overall pick in his mock draft, he has the Nets selecting forward Alec Peters from Valparaiso. Here is what Givony has to say about the Nets selection.

"The Nets are among the NBA leaders in 3-point attempts, clearly embracing the pace-and-space era. The problem is they don’t make enough of them. Enter Peters, one of the top scorers in college basketball. He also has extraordinary intangibles, which could go a long way in improving the team’s locker-room culture."

As Givony notes, the Nets are not shy about launching three-pointers. Despite not doing it efficiently, they certainly let it fly. The Nets attempt the fourth most three-pointers per game at 32.3 and make the fifth most per game at 10.9. That equals out to 33.9 percent, which is 26th in the NBA.

If the Nets are going to play an up-tempo style and shoot three-pointers, it would help to have players capable of knocking them down consistently. Peters can do that.

Peters is fifth in the NCAA with 23.2 points per game. He shoots 46.3 percent from the field and is a capable three-point shooter, making 34.8 percent; he shot 44 percent last season from deep and 46.6 percent as a sophomore.

Peters can definitely fill it up and would give the Nets some much-needed spacing offensively. He could fill the stretch-four role for the Nets and give them a three-point shooter to help open things up, something they do not currently have.

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Peters isn’t a top prospect, but he has some skills that the Nets would benefit adding. Fans will be disappointed that they are not landing a top point guard such as Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, or Dennis Smith Jr., but at least they will have a chance to select someone such as Peters; in 2018 the Nets do not have a first round pick.