Brooklyn Nets NBA Draft Notebook: Breaking Down the Current Big Board Projections

The Brooklyn Nets' five straight losses means that the team is 11th in the Eastern Conference, and the play-in seems a little bit more distant than it did just a handful of games ago. More losses, plus maybe the Philadelphia 76ers or the Toronto Raptors winning some games of their own, might suddenly boost the Nets’ 2025 NBA Draft hopes.

Tankathon currently has Brooklyn (21-40) starting their draft at No. 6. That’s the team’s own pick, but the Nets have three first-rounders at: No. 22 (via the Milwaukee Bucks), No. 23 (via the Houston Rockets) and No. 27 (via the New York Knicks). Brooklyn also owns their second-rounder this season, which would fall at No. 37.

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie released a new big board on Feb. 27. Using the Nets’ Tankathon picks, the rankings worth paying attention to are Kon Knueppel (No. 6), Noah Penda (No. 22), Joan Beringer (No. 23), Noa Essengue (No. 27) and Tyrese Proctor (No. 37).

ESPN also released a big board. Using those same picks, they have Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 6), Will Riley (No. 22), Rasheer Fleming (No. 23) and Boogie Fland (No. 37).

Knueppel is a swingman freshman out of Duke. He is averaging 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season while making 39.5% of his 5.6 attempted threes per game. The 19-year-old is elite in catch-and-shoot situations, and he plays with a physicality that offsets his lack of twitch and bounce.

Knueppel is also a good passer who keeps his turnovers to a minimum, although it helps that he plays for a very potent Duke team. Still, the Duke freshman has developed real pick-and-roll synergy with fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, and he’s generally a reliable decision maker. This includes how Knueppel attacks closeouts, which he draws instantly because of his three-point gravity.

The main questions about the Wisconsin native are his athleticism, self-creation and defense. Knueppel has largely been serviced by others at Duke, which caps his ceiling but doesn’t erase his high floor. He can find it hard to create space off the dribble. On defense, Knueppel plays hard and moves his feet, but he’s probably not quick enough against NBA guards, and not productive enough against NBA wings.

Penda was actually “selected” by the Nets by Vecenie in his Jan. 9 mock draft. This is what Nets On SI wrote then:

Penda, a 20-year-old forward playing in the French league, is already one of his country’s best defenders. He is currently suiting up for Le Mans and is putting together a very impressive season that could even see him enter the lottery. As a scorer, Penda probably won’t create buckets for himself in the NBA. Still, he’s able to piece together loose ends on the floor, connect broken plays, and he has taken a step forward in terms of his three-pointer. The latter is probably his offensive swing skill for the league.

Beringer is an 18-year-old French prospect playing for Slovenian club Cedevita. He’s seeing minutes in the Adriatic League, as well as the Eurocup. Beringer is a bit of an unknown quantity, particularly on offense, but he has a lot of defensive appeal. In 43 games across all leagues this season, Beringer has 58 blocks (1.3 per game) and he's posting a 8.4 BLK%.

NBA teams seem high on Beringer, who won’t turn 19 until Nov. 11. ESPN has him at No. 13 on their big board.

Essengue was previously mocked to the Nets by Bleacher Report on Dec. 5. This is what Nets On SI wrote then:

Essengue is a French forward who is largely projected to play the 4-man, but has shown flashes of sliding down to the 3. The Ratiopharm Ulm prospect is one of the youngest prospects in this draft class — he turns 18 on Dec. 18 — and he is appealing with his positional size at 6-foot-10, increased three-point shooting, off-ball fit and ability to draw free throws.

Tyrese Proctor is a junior guard who also plays for Duke. He might remind fans of recent 10-day signing Killian Hayes. Proctor was billed as more of a point guard earlier in his college career, and he was more of a lead last season, but he’s at his best off-ball and spotting up. This season, the Australian prospect is shooting 39.9% from three on 5.6 attempts per game.

Proctor is a decent and safe passer, but he doesn’t create many advantages off the dribble. His lacking first step makes him easier to contain than what his positional size at 6-foot-5 might indicate. Proctor might be an interesting prospect for a team who wants a complementary guard that can shoot a high volume of threes on a low volume of touches.

Looking at ESPN’s updated board, Jakucionis is the lead guard type that Knueppel or Proctor are not. The Lithuanian freshman is an offensive engine who will take up a lot of time on the ball. That can be a positive and a negative, but it has largely been the case throughout his career, both now at Illinois and previously at FC Barcelona.

Jakucionis is averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game; however, that comes with 3.5 turnovers and little production as a defender and off the ball. The 18-year-old struggles to beat defenders off the bounce in college, and that will likely be amplified in the NBA. This will especially be the case if Jakucionis, listed at 6-foot-6, is ever defended by wings.

Will Riley is Jakucionis’ teammate at Illinois. He’s a bucket getter, going back to his EYBL days, but efficiency has been a struggle for him as a freshman. Largely, that’s because Riley is so skinny that he’s at a physical disadvantage nearly every single time despite being 6-foot-8 with the ability to create shots off the dribble.

Riley loves to score, but he’s willing to pass the ball. As of March 6, the Fighting Illini prospect is averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 30 games. That comes on 51.6 TS%, per Bart Torvik, which must go up.

Rasheer Fleming gets the Barclays crowd roaring. St. Joe’s up 50-46 with 8:23 remaining in the game pic.twitter.com/sobvIAZR83
— Wilko (@wilkomcv) November 23, 2024

Rasheer Fleming is a huge wing, who might even be able to slide up to the 5 in the NBA, in his junior season for Saint Joseph’s. The St. Joe’s prospect is posting 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He’s taken a huge shooting leap this season, and is currently making 43.2% of his threes.

Sustaining this improved three-point shooting will be key for Fleming, who will likely play a supportive role in the NBA. Interestingly, he made 39.3% (22-of-56) of his threes in non-conference play, and he’s then elevated that to 46.1 3P% (35-of-76) in conference action.

On defense, Fleming looks like an excellent prospect. He is averaging 3.1 stocks per game, and he'll be able to defend multiple positions. That should include both wing spots and some bigs.

Boogie Fland was mocked to the Nets in B/R’s Feb. 25 exercise. The Arkansas freshman is currently out for the season after right thumb surgery. This is what Nets On SI wrote then:

He can play the point, but is more of a combo [...] with his ability to shoot threes off-ball. In 18 games as a freshman, Fland averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists while making 36.5% of his 96 attempted threes. The pitch on Fland is that he's a skilled passer and diverse outside shooter on high volume, but his finishing at the rim was terrible (36% in total and 26.5% in the half-court, per Synergy) and teams will target him on defense.

The Nets have a treasure trove of draft assets, with 31 picks — 15 first-rounders, 16 second-rounders — over the next seven years. The team returns to action on Thursday night on the road against the Golden State Warriors.

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