Subscribe
Follow Us
The Brooklyn Nets will have their fair share of options going into the 2023 NBA offseason.
Brooklyn ended the 2022-23 season with a record of 45-37, putting them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and four games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the Play-In tournament. The Philadelphia 76ers swept the Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, a series that saw forward Mikal Bridges lead Brooklyn with 23.5 points per game.
The Nets have the No. 21, 22 and 51 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. 11 players can potentially return to the roster for the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. Brooklyn has two unrestricted free agents in guard Seth Curry and forward Yuta Watanabe, along with three restricted free agents. They can use their selections to add extra depth where they need it the most or trade them for a more experienced veteran player.
Who are some players the Brooklyn Nets should avoid with the No. 21 and 22 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft?
Brandin Podziemski
If the Nets needed extra depth at two-guard and extra shooting off the bench who will try to help a team win in any way possible, Podziemski might be an option to look out for at No. 21 or 22.
A 6-foot-5-inch guard from Greenfield, Wisc., Podziemski, spent one season with the Illinois Fighting Illini before transferring to Santa Clara in 2022. He earned averages of 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as he played and started in 32 games for the Broncos.
“(I'll) find a way to help the team win in any way possible for as long as I'm out there,” Podziemski said in May, via USA TODAY's For The Win. “That's all you can really control. You can't really control if the shot goes in or if it doesn't. You can control everything else. That's what I hang my hat on.”
But the Nets don't have enough of a need at the two-guard to select a player like Podziemski.
Even with Curry being listed as an unrestricted free agent, the Nets seem to be set with their depth at the shooting guard. Both guards Joe Harris and Cameron Thomas will be under contract for the Nets during the 2023-24 season. Guard Edmond Sumner's deal may be non-guaranteed, but he can still make a decent impact off the bench if the Nets decide to keep him around. His deal will become fully guaranteed on July 5.
Article Continues Below
The Nets could instead shore up their depth at the power forward with a player who can play at either the three or the four. Bridges, Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith, will all return for the Nets during the 2023-24 season. Cameron Johnson is listed as a restricted free agent.
Iowa forward Kris Murray, a former three-star recruit from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, saw massive leaps in production between his three seasons with the Hawkeyes. His averages improved from 9.7 points per game in his second season to 20.2 in his third. He averaged 7.9 rebounds per game last season, a leap from the 4.3 he averaged in his second year.
The 6-foot-8-inch forward is still refining his skill set during his pre-draft process, a point he mentioned in an April interview with Hawk Fanatic.
“I'm just kind of refining my skill set,” Murray said when asked where he was in his pre-draft process, via Hawk Fanatic. “I've been working out for the last couple of weeks on different facets of my game that I need to work on.
“I'm going to try to gain strength for the NBA. That's obviously big factor, the physicality of the game, as you've kind of seen in these playoffs. You're getting away with a lot. Going to Sacramento and seeing that first-hand was really cool. I'm just working out until the draft, just getting better every day. That's just my goal. Just one day at a time.”
G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller could be another player to look out for at either 21 or 22. The 6-foot-10-inch forward averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and 1.6 assists during his 24 games played last season. He can add some much-needed size and be a high-potential pick for the Nets should he fall to them in the draft.
Leonard worked out for the Indiana Pacers in May. He highlighted his feel for the game and defense during an interview at the NBA Draft Combine.
“I feel like what I've done with Ignite fits modern basketball. On the court, I can pass, dribble, and shoot. I feel like that's what you need to do,” Miller said in May, via All Pacers. “I'm just a hooper. I just go out there and I have a good feel for the game. And also I can defend. I'm versatile on the defensive end with my length and everything, that also helps with the game right now.”
