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The Brooklyn Nets pick No. 21 and 22 in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday. The team could go in several directions, and many outlets are speculating about a blockbuster Brooklyn trade. However, the bold, last-minute Nets draft prediction here is that the team keeps and makes both picks and swings for the fences with them.
The last-minute Nets draft prediction is that they take boom-or-bust prospects with their two first-round picks
With two first-round Nets picks and a ground-up rebuild underway after the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades, Brooklyn can go in several different directions. The direction many seem to hope the franchise goes in is one that includes a blockbuster trade on draft day.
The NBA rumor mill is in full swing with whispers that the Nets may pursue Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers or Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Either one of these deals could absolutely happen on NBA draft night. However, the real bold Nets draft prediction at this point is that Brooklyn won’t make a major trade at all. Instead, they will make both their picks and try to hit home runs with both.
With the No. 21 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets will select Duke freshman guard Dariq Whitehead.
Whitehead was the No. 2 recruit in the country coming out of high school, and the 6-foot-6 combo guard had a disappointing season for the Blue Devils. He fractured his foot before the season and was never the player he was coming into college. After an injury-filled season, Whitehead finished playing just 28 games and averaging 8.7 points, 1.0 assists, and 2.4 rebounds.
Still, Whitehead was considered a dominant force coming out of Montverde Academy in Florida, and with a full offseason to get healthy, he could return to that player.
All that said, maybe Whitehead is injury prone. Or maybe he’s just not as explosive and athletic against better competition as scouts thought he would be. Those doubts are why he will fall out of the lottery and to the Nets at No. 21.
At that point in the NBA draft, though, Whitehead’s potential as a two guard who can score and defend multiple positions will be too much for Brooklyn to pass up.
Ultimately, there are question marks surrounding Whitehead, but even if he doesn’t hit what his ceiling could be, he should be a valuable NBA player in some capacity.
The next Nets pick is a complete lottery ticket, with huge upside and massive bust potential.
With the No. 22 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets will select forward Tristan Vukcevic from Partizan Belgrade in Serbia.
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Vukcevic is a 6-foot-11, 20-year-old who has already played professionally in Europe for the last three seasons, first for Real Madrid (the team that brought us Luka Doncic) and then Partizan Belgrade in (one of) his homelands.
Vukcevic is the son of a Bosnian-born, Serbian professional basketball player father, and a Swedish model mother. He was born in Italy, grew up in Greece, and has played professionally in Spain and Serbian. The young NBA prospect will reportedly represent Serbia in international basketball but is also eligible to play for Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Italy, and Spain.
On the NBA front, Vukcevic has already shown NBA-level offense. He shot 37.3% from 3-point range last season and has a wide array of offensive moves that should make him an incredible pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop player in the States.
The defensive side of the floor is another story.
He is not quick or strong or particularly adept in playing defense. He does put in a solid effort, but that wasn’t enough last season in Europe.
If Vukcevic can bulk up and become a rim protector while continuing to develop his offensive game as well, he can become a Nikola Jokic-type player. And playing alongside defensive stoppers like Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton on the Nets, maybe his defensive limitations won’t show up quite as noticeably.
The last-minute Nets draft predictions here are based on the franchise (hopefully) learning their lesson. There are no quick fixes in the NBA, even with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. And you can throw Damian Lillard into that group as well.
The best way to build a lasting contender is to do it through the draft. And since the club smartly got one building block with Bridges in the Durant trade, they should continue the rebuild by making their Nets picks.
In the 2023 NBA Draft, that means using Nos. 21 and 22 to take players with huge upside (and possible flaws) in Dariq Whitehead and Tristan Vukcevic.
