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Since his last game at Gonzaga in 2023, Drew Timme has been waiting for his NBA opportunity. That call came on Friday when the Brooklyn Nets signed the 24-year-old to a two-year contract. The moment caught Timme off guard.
“I ain't gonna lie. I was just playing some FIFA, and then my phone started blowing up, and I was like, ‘Huh? What?'… I've been playing really good, so I was kind of hoping, from anywhere, something would happen,” he said. “I didn’t believe it. I was just so excited. I felt like a little kid. Like getting an Xbox on Christmas morning. I just couldn’t believe it was real. It was surreal. It still doesn’t feel real. I got a tour of the arena. It’s super nice. Just seeing it all. I got to walk on the court a little bit, get a couple shots up, and I was just like, ‘Damn, I’m really here.’ So super cool.”
Drew Timme on when he found out the Nets were offering him a contact:
“I was just playing some FIFA, and then my phone started blowing up. I was like, huh, what?”
😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/7lmbL8iolC
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 28, 2025
Timme was a three-time All-American at Gonzaga, averaging 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 61.8 percent shooting over his final three seasons. However, he went undrafted, with his limited athleticism and outside shooting raising concerns about how his post-up-heavy style would translate to the NBA.
He spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings' G League affiliate before the Long Island Nets acquired him in December.
Drew Timme ready for NBA opportunity with Nets after G League dominance
After a foot injury cut his rookie year short, Drew Timme broke out with Long Island during the second half of this season. The 6-foot-10 center averaged 30.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 63/51/84 shooting splits over a nine-game stretch to start March. He scored 50 points on 21-of-26 shooting during a Mar. 22 win over the Motor City Cruise.
“I think he's done a great job with our club,” said Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. “He deserves this. And that's what we're about. Whether it's here with the Brooklyn Nets or in Long Island, we're the same team. You do your job, and you'll get rewarded. And he deserves to be here. So we're excited. Excited to get to know him at this level, give him the opportunity and see how he does.”
Timme dominated at Gonzaga, with the team crafting its offense around his post-up game. However, he attempted 0.6 threes per game during his college career. Reserve centers who don't present a lob threat, space the floor or protect the rim at a high level are virtually non-existent in the NBA.
That reality forced the former college star to alter his approach.
“I touched the ball 20, 30 times a night at least at Gonzaga and played through the post. I’m gonna touch the ball most of the time [there]. And here, you gotta be able to stretch the floor,” Timme said. “That’s obviously the biggest thing I’ve been working on. It’s been clicking a little bit lately. Hopefully, I can continue that. But also just the space and the pace of it all. They’re not always gonna run a ball screen to look at me in the post.
Maybe I just gotta play in the dunker more and get ready for a dump off from a guard. You know, playing off different actions or spacing out to the corner more. There’s a lot more things like that. And then obviously everyone’s better here too. You have to adjust to that as well. The competition gets thinner and thinner for the guys who get here.”
Timme improved substantially as a floor-spacer with Long Island, shooting 38.5 percent on 2.7 three-point attempts per game over 29 appearances. He'll need to carry over that improvement if he hopes to stick with Brooklyn beyond the end of this season.
With Day'Ron Sharpe sidelined by a knee sprain and Noah Clowney battling a wrist injury, Timme will receive an extended opportunity to showcase himself over the Nets' final nine games.
