The buzz surrounding the Brooklyn Nets heading into the draft centered on a potential trade up. As the picks flew by Thursday night, the Nets stood their ground, selecting Alabama’s Noah Clowney and Duke’s Dariq Whitehead 21st and 22nd overall.
Clowney, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward, averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds last season to help lead Alabama to the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. The 19-year-old is a versatile weapon who made his money on the defensive end using a high motor and 7-foot-3 wingspan.
“Defensively is where I hang my hat. We guard multiple positions, we protect the rim, we do it all,” Clowney said Thursday. “I want to be a force. I want to be in conversations for Defensive Player of the Year awards.”
That defensive buy-in, along with Clowney's physical tools, stood out to Nets general manager Sean Marks:
“I enjoyed watching Noah play. I love the intangibles. I love how hard he competes. I love the length that he has,” Marks said. “When you have a 7'3″ three wingspan, I can't teach that. Our coaches can teach a lot of things, but they can't teach that. I love the fact that he doesn't shy away from shooting from the outside. He's very versatile, can play a couple of different positions out there.”
Offensively, Clowney presents a floor-spacing option in the frontcourt, converting on 28.3 percent of his threes last season. In addition to his threat as a pick-and-pop option, the big man is a high-level finisher on lobs, cuts and putbacks, shooting over 67 percent at the rim.
Here’s a nice 23 second clip of what Noah Clowney could look like at his best at the next level.
Pick and pop threat that has potential as a shooter. He’s only good shooting the ball while standing still. On the other end flashed some slight switchability and shot-blocking… pic.twitter.com/L2rKTo0iW7
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) June 14, 2023
“Offensively, I think I can bring a lot spacing the floor, through my decision-making,” Clowney said. “I want to be as versatile as I can be, as far as dribbling, shooting, everything. I want to be able to pass the ball.”
Despite his low percentage from three, the South Carolina native displayed sound mechanics and was not lacking confidence, attempting 3.3 per game as a freshman. Marks said that confidence as a shooter was a significant factor in Brooklyn's evaluation.
“Noah doesn’t shy away from shooting it. That’s what we want,” Marks said. “Confidence is something that some people are born with, some people it grows, and you hope a guy like Noah, his confidence just continues to grow and grow and grow. He comes in with some confidence, which is great.”
At 18 years old, Whitehead is the second-youngest draft pick in Nets franchise history. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was a potential lottery pick before a foot fracture forced him to undergo two surgeries in the last year.
Whitehead was the number two player in the country coming out of high school, and it's not difficult to see why. He was an elite shot-creator before the foot injury, capable of carrying an offense in a high-usage role, as well as overwhelming opposing scorers defensively. He developed into a high-level catch-and-shoot threat despite being limited by the foot injury at Duke, shooting 43 percent from three on 3.5 attempts per game.
High-level shot-making display from top-five recruit Dariq Whitehead with 31 points against IMG. The two-time high school national champion Whitehead, headed to Duke next year, is a coach's dream with the way he defends, passes, and does all the little things to impact winning. pic.twitter.com/K5772MMJxX
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) January 10, 2022
Dariq Whitehead is starting to get healthy and comfortable. High-level shot-maker when at his best, and looks good as secondary creator/ option to come off down screens within flow of offense
18 PTS on 6-12 FG yesterday. Still holding him as a top-ten prospect in 2023 draft pic.twitter.com/dwr0XCJEMK
— The Box and One (@TheBoxAndOne_) January 8, 2023
Nets team orthopedist Martin O'Malley recently performed Whitehead's second surgery. Brooklyn's performance team dealt with a similar foot injury after Marks drafted Caris LeVert in the first round in 2016. That experience has the Nets confident that the first-round selection will make a full recovery:
“Knowing what we know and having gone through, not the same injury, but a similar injury with Caris LeVert, our performance team has done a heck of a job. They know what they’re in for with him,” Marks said. “We're comfortable with his injury, we're comfortable with bringing him back. If you rewind a year, there's a chance he was probably a lottery pick. So for a guy like that to fall to us, fantastic. We'll take it.”
The Nets finished their draft by selecting Kansas forward Jalen Wilson 51st overall in the second round. The 6-foot-5 wing was the unanimous Big-12 Player of the Year as a senior, averaging 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 43/34/80 shooting splits.
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