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Historically, the second round of the NBA draft has not produced many star players. Of course, there are exceptions (Draymond Green, Manu Ginobili, Isaiah Thomas), and the Brooklyn Nets rookie Rodions Kurucs is one of them.
The Nets' Twitter account tweeted out an interesting fact that led to speculation that Kurucs might be the steal of the second round already:
.@RODIONS1 has his second 20-point game of the season tonight.
That's twice as many as the rest of the 2018 NBA Draft second round combined. pic.twitter.com/wpHfa9N5FB
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 8, 2019
Of course, it is still much to early to determine how Kurucs' career will play out. However, he has performed very well in his short time with the Nets.
In 24 games, the Latvian forward has averaged 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds, while shooting 48 percent from the field. He has also shown the potential to go off in spurts, as his 20 point outbursts show.
Brooklyn would love for Kurucs to become a consistent contributor at the NBA level. Although the team is crowded at the small forward positions with players like Caris LeVert, DeMarre Carrol, Jared Dudley, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, it never hurts to have an abundance of talent. Additionally, LeVert and Hollis-Jefferson have an extensive injury history, so Kurucs will probably get plenty of time this season.
The Nets currently hold a record of 20-22, good enough for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. While no one mistakes them for title contenders, they have shown significant improvement from last season. If the young talent, like Kurucs, continues to improve, the Nets will turn heads in the organization sooner rather than later.
