The Brooklyn Nets have plenty of important decisions to make heading into the 2025 NBA Draft that begins at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25. Brooklyn has five picks to use in the upcoming Draft, but like most teams, they only have one second-round pick. The Nets are in position to take a player who should be able to make an impact right away.

In his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman projected the Nets to take Florida State forward Jamir Watkins with the 36th overall pick in the Draft. Even though No. 36 is Brooklyn’s final pick in the draft, that doesn’t mean that the selection is any less important than their four picks in the first round. Watkins should be able to pay off on the investment if the Nets decide to take him.

Advertisement

“It has become easier to picture a disruptive, NBA defender after watching Jamir Watkins strip ball-handlers and blow up plays from off the ball during scrimmages,” Wasserman wrote when discussing Watkins. “There should be a big second-round market for a 215-pound wing who guards multiple positions, finishes through contact and can provide secondary playmaking.”

Watkins, listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, is coming off a senior season at Florida State in which he had the best campaign of his collegiate career while leading the Seminoles to a 17-15 record under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Watkins averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 32.1% from three-point land.

Watkins, who Wasserman compares to former Nets swingman Caris LeVert, seems to be regarded as a late second-round pick so it’s possible that if the Nets are interested in him, they may take the chance that he goes undrafted and tries to sign him after the Draft. Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, who Wasserman has being taken by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 35th overall pick, could be an option for Brooklyn if he makes it to No. 36, especially since the Nets have already brought him in for a workout.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets projected to take FSU F Jamir Watkins No. 36 in 2025 NBA Draft