The Nets, it would seem, are more than like to take one of two lead guards on the night of June 23 at Barclays Center, either Mikel Brown Jr. or Darius Acuff. The are the most mentioned candidates for the No. 6 pick by draftniks and assorted pundits. And indeed, both are worthy of such consideration.<\/p>\n
But, no one is claiming to know Sean Marks & co. thinking as we sit down a little more than three weeks away from the NBA\u2019s big event. No one seemingly has the goods on who the Nets have had in HSS Training Center nor when they might work out and sit from interviews. There\u2019s been no leaks from the annual May meeting of scouts that was featured in last year\u2019s SCOUT docu-series. <\/a><\/p>\n So it shouldn\u2019t come as much of a surprise that speculation about the Nets\u2019 likes and dislikes is rising along with fan interest. On Friday, Brian Lewis profiled Keaton Wagler who most have penciled in at No. 5 to the Clippers, while ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Woo added some intelligence on the full-range of prospective picks between Nos. 5 and 10, suggesting the Nets may have interest in Brown, Acuff and Wagler as well as the 6\u20199\u201d Karim Lopez of the New Zealand Breakers, 6\u20194\u201d Houston point guard, Adary May, the 7\u20193\u201d center and anchor of Michigan\u2019s NCAA champs and Nate Ament, the 6\u201910\u201d wing whose draft stock has been up and down and now up again all year long.<\/p>\n Lewis highlights both Wagler\u2019s positives \u2014 his height and wingspan plus his winning ways \u2014 as well as negatives \u2014 his lack of athleticism and whether he fits with Egor Demin.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a very real possibility Wagler could be available for the Nets when they\u2019re on the clock at Barclays Center. And as many non-Peterson guards as there are in this class, Wagler is confident he\u2019s the best of the lot.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019m just super-versatile, being able to play multiple positions, not just a point guard or just shooting guard, but being able to play on or off the ball,\u201d Wagler said. \u201cAnd then also being able to play with other really good players is a skill that I think I have, knowing when it\u2019s my time or when it\u2019s someone else\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite middling athleticism and explosion, that versatility would be useful for the Nets.<\/p>\n Wagler met with the Nets at the NBA Combine and they\u2019re expected to have him in, but there are issues, chief among them his athleticism. As our Collin Helwig reported after the Draft Lottery measurements were released, he not only finished fourth among the quarter in 3\/4- court sprint but placed 50th among the 70 participants. He doesn\u2019t worry about that hurting him. The rest of the game compensates, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I\u2019ve heard it my whole life, that I\u2019m not the most athletic, not the fastest,\u201d Wagler told Lewis. \u201cI think all last year I showed that you don\u2019t have to be the most athletic to score the ball or be a really good player. And that\u2019s kind of what I did. I just find different ways to use my body, even though I\u2019m not the strongest, but being the aggressor, using my pace [of play] and then getting into the lane.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely super-versatile, can play multiple positions \u2014 the 1, 2 right now \u2014 and I continue to put on weight and get stronger, even the 3,\u201d Wagler told Lewis. \u201cSo, my ability would also be my playmaking ability to be able to pass the ball, make the right play, take care of the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely say my vision, going along with my height, being a tall guard, is something really good to be able to come off ball-screens and read defenders, see over defenses, and \u2026 make the right play.\u201d<\/p>\n And he said all the right things about playing in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n Woo wrote about the Nets possible interest in Wagler as part of his top 100 rankings out Friday.<\/p>\n Wagler\u2019s positional size, versatility and unique trajectory have continued to set him apart as a prospect worth investing in, with teams including the LA Clippers and Brooklyn Nets closely studying his case at No. 5 and No. 6 and his draft range unlikely to stretch far beyond those teams.<\/p>\n Wagler wasn\u2019t the only prospect Woo linked to the Nets eith. Of Acuff, he wrote you have to consider the Nets as possibility as well.<\/p>\n Acuff\u2019s range as relatively narrow, with his best-available case beginning with the Clippers at No. 5 and Nets at No. 6, and the Sacramento Kings<\/a> at No. 7 considered by many to be his floor.<\/p>\n His ability to score at all three levels and increased willingness to involve teammates have greatly boosted his profile as a player potentially worthy of shouldering heavy responsibility and driving good offense.<\/p>\n Although his mechanics aren\u2019t textbook, he has continued to flash enough shooting growth to excite teams long term, drawing consideration from teams inside the top 10 after a breakout freshman season, with his range starting at No. 5 with the Clippers<\/p>\n