Brooklyn Nets Projected to Select 'Next Jalen Brunson' at NBA Draft

The Brooklyn Nets are looking at several options in this upcoming draft.

Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the most popular options at the No. 6 spot, as that is who the Nets could end up selecting, ESPN's Jeremy Woo writes.

"Although Acuff doesn't match the Nets' preference for positional size on the perimeter, rival teams have come to view him as a serious candidate," Woo wrote. "He is coming off an excellent season at Arkansas and would immediately become their most talented shot creator."

Acuff has drawn comparisons to Jalen Brunson, who just helped the New York Knicks win their first championship in 53 years while earning Finals MVP.

By proving that a 6-foot-2 guard can be the No. 1 option on a championship team, silencing skeptics like Becky Hammon along the way, Brunson will almost certainly become the blueprint for smaller guards chasing the same dream.

"I think Acuff can open some eyes in the NBA," one Western Conference scout told ESPN. "Brunson has kind of brought back the smaller, scoring, tough physical point guard that can lead a team. And Acuff has some of those traits. He might even have a little more."

Brunson has heard all the criticisms seemingly before he even stepped foot on Villanova's campus, with many of them directed towards his lack of size.

Brunson helped Nova win two championships and was named the Naismith College Player of the Year, but even that wasn't convincing enough for a team to take him in the first round of the draft.

Those criticisms and concerns never quite dissapeared, but Brunson found ways to use the skills he did have, becoming one of the craftiest scorers in the league. He also developed a strong ability to use his forearm to fend off bigger defenders to score near the rim.

Acuff is coming into the league with more upside from an athletic and physical standpoint, drawing comparisons to Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson due to their similar abilities to get downhill.

However, it's important that Acuff learns to study Brunson at least from a leadership perspective.

Brunson learned how to be more effective without the ball, whether it was setting screens or getting free off the ball to set himself up for clean looks. His sheer determination and unwillingness to back down from the moment also helped the Knicks pull off some of the most improbable comebacks in sports history,.

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