With Brook gone, Nets add Texas C
As that other New York basketball team waded through more executive-led controversy, the Brooklyn Nets flew under the radar. For them, that’s perfect.
Their reported blockbuster trade of Brook Lopez for D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov became official on Thursday and then they used the 22nd overall pick to select Texas center Jarrett Allen. In the second round, Brooklyn selected forward Aleksander Vezenkov, a native of Cyprus, at No. 57. “D’Angelo is a versatile young guard with a bright future and we are enthusiastic about continuing his development along with our young nucleus,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. “Timofey will provide a veteran presence who can contribute on both ends of the floor. Both are great fits within (coach Kenny Atkinson’s) system.”
Despite having to watch the 76ers (through the Celtics) take the consensus top prospect, Markelle Fultz, with the No. 1 pick that initially belonged to them, it was a successful, albeit quiet, night for the Nets.
Marks’ second draft day had a much different feel than his first last June, when he made a pair of deals, picking up Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead. This go-around, his big move was done well ahead of time and brought back a 21-year-old who was the No. 2 pick just two years ago.
“We’ll sorely miss (Brook) and his presence around here,” Marks said about Lopez at the Nets’ practice facility after the draft. “But the trade is about getting a couple of pieces to add to our core.… We’re excited about getting a talent (like Russell) in our gym.”
With their only first-rounder, the Nets took another very young project in Allen, who just turned 19 in April. With a 7-5 wingspan, the 6-10 center nearly averaged a double-double in his freshman season with the Longhorns and also blocked 1.5 shots a game. But, as with any one-and-done guy, he’s raw and there isn’t much offensive polish to his game.
When interviewed on ESPN right after hearing his name called, Allen mentioned rim protection and pick-and-roll defense as the areas he felt he could bring to the table in Brooklyn. That was echoed by Marks.
By no means is he an equal substitute for Lopez, the team’s all-time leading scorer who developed a quality three-point shot during his last season with the Nets. But, Allen should provide some much-needed help on the defensive interior to one of the worst teams in the league last season at both point prevention and rebounding.
“He’s an active big and he knows his role,” Marks said of Allen, whom the Nets had only worked out for the first time on Wednesday. “Where we’re at in our life cycle, taking the best available is something we had in mind. But we’re extremely fortunate to get Jarrett and he hasn’t even remotely scratched the surface of what he can do.”