To be frank, mock drafts don\u2019t mean that much at this point. Teams have only started working out and interviewing players. Sure they\u2019ve seen all the top picks multiple times, in some cases more than 10, but that\u2019s just part of the process. After the workouts and interviews come meetings between the scouts who fill in the blanks on team databases and the front office types who will actually make the selections on June 23-24. In between will be the Draft Lottery on May 10, of course. Where a team picks will determine who they select and whether they want to make trades.<\/p>\n
Therefore, word to the wise: don\u2019t put a lot of faith in what the draftniks think now.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s been our duty for years to keep track of the top draft sites, hoping for a sense of who the Nets might be thinking as they prepare for one of the first nights of summer in Brooklyn. So when in recent days, there\u2019s been a spate of mocks hitting the web, we\u2019ve paid close attention. And \u2026drum roll\u2026 the consensus is as clear as any we have ever seen: if the Brooklyn Nets pick at No. 3 or maybe even higher, Duke power forward Cameron Sikander Boozer, college basketball\u2019s player of the year, will be donning a Nets cap early the night of June 23.<\/p>\n
Of the nine mock drafts we follow, seven of them project the steady and often honored Boozer to the Nets at No. 3 using the current lottery odds. One likes Caleb Wilson, the 6\u201910\u201d hyper-athletic North Carolina, for the Nets but only because the writer in that case thinks Boozer will be taken at No. 2! The last of the nine, used a spin of the Tankaton lottery simulator<\/a>, and when Brooklyn fell to No. 6, it went with Darius Acuff, the exciting if undersized Arkansas guard. (The Nets can\u2019t slip beyond No. 7 but statistically, under the league rules, their most likely slot will be No. 6, with a 26.8% chance.)<\/p>\n In the meantime, you can mull over the other draft news out there because looking down the line, it has the potential to be huge.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014-<\/p>\n The current NBA Draft rules appear to be perishable and everyone\u2019s attention over the last 48 hours has been diverted by what the NBA Draft might look like in the future as the Board of Governors mulls Adam Silver\u2019s radical plan to end tanking. It\u2019ll be voted on at the end of May. The plan, first revealed by ESPN, is not simple but Lev Akabas makes a valiant attempt at simplification with this visualization\u2026<\/p>\n Yikes. No matter what you think of that \u2014 and you can comment below \u2014 the bottom line is that it won\u2019t go into effect until the 2027 Draft. So no worries yet. Moreover, if they\u2019re approved in a form close to what ESPN reported and Akabas, visualized the new rules will give the Nets with their 13 first rounders over the next seven years a bit of advantage. Why? Because as Akavas graphic notes, there will be two more teams with chances at the top prize every year with 2.7% chances at the overall No. 1. That\u2019s better than what the Dallas Mavericks had last year \u2014 1.8% \u2014 when they won top pick and Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at one possibility. Suppose the Knicks make it to the playoffs in 2027 but have the league\u2019s 15th or 16th worst record. Under the current rules, the Nets who own that pick would not be in the lottery, but under the \u201creforms,\u201d they would have be in the lottery and have a shot, albeit a small one, at moving up. The more picks, the more chances, the more opportunities to move up.<\/p>\n Another small advantage for teams like the Nets with extra picks and a lot of cap space comes from none other than Mark Cuban, owner of the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. He thinks flattening lottery odds will lead to a spate of trades\u2026<\/p>\n Good to know. but the more pressing issue for Nets fans is what will happen in Brooklyn seven weeks from now. Here\u2019s that breakdown, mock by mock. Other than Boozer, there\u2019s only one player in either round who gets more than one mention: Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State\u2019s 6\u20199\u201d point forward who two mocks project at No. 33, the Nets own second rounder.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n Jeremy Woo, like most of the authors of mock drafts thinks the top three prospects \u2014 so-called \u201cfranchise-changers\u201d \u2014 are still somewhat interchangeable. Can\u2019t go wrong, right? In his latest mock, he had the Nets taking Caleb Wilson. This time around, it\u2019s Cam Boozer, Mr. Fundamentals.<\/p>\n #3 – Cam Boozer<\/a>, PF, 6\u201910\u201d, Duke freshman#33 – Juke Harris<\/a>, SG, 6\u20197\u201d, Wake Forest, Sophomore#43 – Malachi Moreno<\/a>, C, 7\u2019o\u201d, Kentucky, Freshman<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Woo\u2019s take on Boozer\u2019s fit with the Nets:<\/p>\n While Duke fell just short of a Final Four berth, Boozer lived up to his lofty expectations, cleaning up player of the year awards and proving one of the most dependable freshman stars ever. He has the makings of a foundational, tone-setting player, and while his limited vertical lift might cap some of his upside, at some point, it\u2019s hard to argue with the results he has gotten. Boozer is a longer shot at No. 1, but teams largely feel comfortable with the production they\u2019re going to get from him.<\/p>\n Brooklyn has a lot riding on this lottery, as it continues to look for a young franchise player to anchor the team and doesn\u2019t have control of its 2027 first, which is owed to Houston. Boozer is the safest choice on the board in that respect, as the Nets try to accelerate the competitive timeline of a young roster.<\/p>\n Jonathan Wasserman joins Jeremy Woo in liking Boozer, almost defensively, in comparing his numbers to his competitors:<\/p>\n He shot better from three (39.1 percent) on higher volume than Dybantsa. He has a 26.0 assist percentage that double\u2019s Peterson\u2019s, Dybantsa\u2019s and lottery guards like Keaton Wagler and Brayden Burries. He grades in Synergy Sports\u2019 90th percentile or better in ball\u2011screen and isolation possessions. Even with that profile, there is still lingering concern about his lack of quickness, vertical pop and defensive projection.<\/p>\n The 18-year-old with two FIBA MVPs and Gold Medals, four high school state championships and three EYBL Peach Jam titles could have led Duke to a national championship, and there will still be evaluators who\u2019ll worry that he\u2019ll lack the height or athleticism to continue creating advantages in the NBA.<\/p>\n #3 – Cam Boozer<\/a>, PF, 6\u201910\u201d, Duke freshman#33 – Luigi Suigo<\/a>, C, 7\u20192\u201d, Mega Basket 19 years old#43 – Trevon Brazile<\/a>, PF, 6\u201910\u201d, Arkansas, freshman<\/p>\n Wasserman also likes the two bigs in the second for the Nets. Suigo is more of a traditional center who hit only three 3-pointers for Serbian powerhouse Mega this year but is only 19. Brazile, on the other hand, is 23 but has potential, he writes as a 3-and-D big.<\/p>\n In the second round, a team should see a bet worth making on his three-ball to reach a league-average level. He has an easy-to-project archetype and role as a stretch-4\/finisher and threat to attack closeouts.<\/p>\n We are done using Tankathon to monitor daily perturbations in the lottery standings. But Matt Hoover\u2019s site also offers up-to-the-minute mocks and Thursday, here\u2019s what he has for the Nets.<\/p>\n Yup, he, too, likes Boozer if Brooklyn remains at No. 3. Tankathon believes the Nets will go the traditional route and take the country\u2019s top player. While their format is light on analysis unlike their rivals, they are long on video:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s their full take. They like two point guards, one Darius Acuff\u2019s running mate at Arkansas in the second round. Nets of course played three rookies at point guard at various points last season.<\/p>\n #3 – Cam Boozer<\/a>, PF, 6\u201910\u201d, Duke freshman#33 – Meleek Thomas<\/a>, SG\/PG, 6\u20195\u201d Arkansas freshman#43 – Jaden Bradley<\/a>, PG, 6\u20194\u201d, Arizona senior<\/p>\n The venerable NBADraft.net may be quirky in its calls, but Aran Smith\u2019s site has extensive scouting reports that are among the best in the draftniks\u2019 circle and he\u2019ll often update them, giving a readers an opportunity to chart progress \u2014 or the reverse \u2014 of their favorite prospects. And like all the current mocks, he likes Cam Boozer! And like others who monitor college ball, Smith et al compare him to Tim Duncan, who as everyone knows played and was coached by Sean Marks in San Antonio. Writes Smith:<\/p>\n Boozer projects as a highly impactful, versatile frontcourt player with All-Star upside due to his unique combination of skill, feel, and productivity \u2026 While some have drawn comparisons to Kevin Love (who led the league in rebounding multiple times), Boozer\u2019s overall game more closely mirrors Al Horford with his athleticism, shooting, versatility, and team-oriented approach \u2026 He plays with an extremely patient, highly deliberate style, rarely appearing rushed and consistently making mature decisions with the ball \u2026 In some ways, there is a mini Tim Duncan quality to his approach, particularly in the poise, discipline, and understated effectiveness he brings to the game.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s their full take:<\/p>\n #3 – Cam Boozer<\/a>, PF, 6\u201910\u201d, Duke freshman#33 – Joshua Jefferson<\/a>, SF, 6\u20199\u201d, Iowa State senior#43 – Jakobi Gillespie<\/a>, PG, 6\u20191\u201d, Tennessee senior<\/p>\n Jefferson has been linked to the Nets in a number of mocks. Although one of the oldest players in the Draft, Jefferson is a point forward which is something that could work in Jordi Fernandez\u2019s system.<\/p>\n One of the most statistically unique players in the country, becoming the only player nationally (and first in Big 12 history) to post 450+ points, 250+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 70+ steals, and 25+ blocks in a single season \u2026 Strong basketball background with family ties to high-level football \u2026 Known for toughness, IQ, and all-around production<\/p>\n Sam Vecenie\u2019s mock is an outlier to two regards: 1) projects a post-lottery based not on where they sit going into the May 10 event but where he thinks teams will fall when the ping pong balls finally lands which in the Nets case he thinks will be No. 6; and 2) with Cam Boozer off the board at No. 3 (to the Atlanta Hawks in his estimation), he likes Darius Acuff, the 6\u20192\u201d Arkansas guard. Vecenie, in a nutshell, loves Acuff but has questions.<\/p>\n Acuff might be the most polished freshman guard prospect I\u2019ve ever evaluated. His footwork and balance are pristine, and he tends to make efficient decisions. He plays off two feet and moves well without the ball to set up his on-ball moves. His passes are always crisp and on-target, even if his vision isn\u2019t always elite.<\/p>\n But can he consistently get paint touches against NBA length, and can he guard anybody? In terms of the former, he\u2019s done just about everything in his power to make me a believer that he can separate, thanks to the threat of his shot and elite pace. But the latter is another story. Even though Acuff is stocky and strong, he\u2019s easily the worst defender among the top 10 prospects. He struggles to get through screens and shows a lack of off-ball engagement too regularly.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s his overall take:<\/p>\n #6 – Darius Acuff<\/a>, PG\/SG, 6\u20193\u201d, Arkansas freshman#33 – Joshua Jefferson<\/a>, SF, 6\u20199\u201d, Iowa State senior#43 – Ugonna Onyenso<\/a>, C, 6\u201911\u201d, Virginia senior<\/p>\n Another vote for Jefferson. In fact, he is the only prospect linked to the Nets in more than mock \u2026 other than Boozer, of course.<\/p>\n Stephen Noh of TSN only does one round, but like his counterparts above, he too sees Cam Boozer as the Nets best bet if they stay at No. 3. Like the others, he sees Boozer as an ideal fit.<\/p>\n While critics point to his lack of elite vertical explosiveness, Boozer\u2019s basketball IQ, polished post-game, and ballhandling skills undeniably lead to high-level production. He can anchor an NBA frontcourt through sheer strength and skill.<\/p>\n