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Brooklyn Nets Select Ivan Rabb, Andrew Jones In Chad Ford Mock Draft

By Kenneth Teape

January 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) shoots a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) shoots a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets select Ivan Rabb and Andrew Jones in the most recent NBA Mock Draft from Chad Ford.

The Brooklyn Nets have been playing some better basketball recently. Despite having the worst record in the NBA at 19-59, the Nets have found themselves in the win column more in the past two weeks than any other time during the season.

Normally a team in the position of the Nets were want to lose as many games as possible; winning the lottery is a goal with as poor a record as the Nets. But, the Nets do not own their first round pick; it will be sent to the Boston Celtics as part of a past trade.

As a result, winning doesn’t hurt or help the Nets; they are just playing out the stretch of the season and looking to build some momentum for next season.

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The Nets have received some solid play from younger players recently and still have Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez under contract next season. They will have a chance to add some talent to the roster with two first round picks in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The Nets will have the Celtics pick, which figures to be near the end of the first round. They will also have the Washington Wizards selection from their trade at the deadline. With such a deep draft class, the Nets have a chance to add some good talent even late in the first round.

In the most recent mock draft from Chad Ford, the Nets do just that. With the projected 22nd pick in the first round, Ford has the Nets selecting California forward Ivan Rabb. Here is what Ford has to say about the selection.

"Rabb was considered a likely lottery pick at the end of last season. He improved as a sophomore, but not as much as scouts would’ve liked.He’s a good rebounder and he can score around the basket, though his emerging perimeter game has scouts questioning if playing in the paint will ever be a strength for him. Still, he’s a good prospect at this point in the draft."

Rabb is exactly the type of prospect the Nets would like to have. He has lottery tools and skills but was unable to put it all together in college. The Nets would hope that they could get those talents out of him and get a steal with the 22nd pick.

Rabb is extremely athletic, which the Nets could use more of. He could give the Nets a long-term building block in the front court where Chris McCullough proved to be a bust; he was traded along with Bojan Bogdanovic to the Wizards at the deadline.

Like many young players, he has things to work on. Rabb needs to add strength to be successful at the next level. He is also very raw offensively; his athleticism enables him to score but he needs to develop some moves to further blossom.

With their second pick in the first round, the Nets are projected to take Texas point guard Andrew Jones. Here is what Ford has to say about this selection.

"There are a lot of scouts who feel like Jones is a major sleeper. He’s an elite athlete who plays above the rim and has shown the ability to knock down the 3. He really came along in Big 12 play.The Nets need to continue to swing for the fences with these late draft picks and hope they connect. Jones is a good bet down this low."

Like Rabb, Jones has to work on his offense, specifically his shooting. Jones has good size at 6-feet-4 inches and 175 pounds, so he can play either guard spot. He could afford to add some size if he is going to play shooting guard more than point guard.

While his size could be a detriment, as he is looked at as a tweener by some, it is also an asset. He can defend both guard positions, something that is important in today’s NBA. He is very athletic, making him a difference maker in the open court.

Jones would give the Nets a building block for the future in the backcourt to be the successor to Lin. Having Lin on the roster would allow Jones to develop and improve his game to realize his full potential.

Next: Brooklyn Nets: 5 Trade Destinations For Brook Lopez

If the Nets are able to land Raab and Jones they will have a solid draft. While selecting in the top-four, which the Nets pick is assured of landing, would have been nice, they will be happy with landing players of Rabb and Jones’ caliber with late first round picks.

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