Looking Back at Recent No. 6 Overall Picks to Manage the Nets Expectations

The Brooklyn Nets are stuck with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, pending a trade up or down. They went 20-62 this season, and the type of player that usually goes with the sixth pick won't be a quick fix.

In the last three drafts, the players taken with the No. 6 pick were Tre Johnson, Tidjane Salaün and Anthony Black. Just because this trio of recent picks hasn't turned into stars doesn't mean that the Nets aren't capable of nabbing an elite talent –– every draft class is different. With that said, fans shouldn't get their hopes up, no matter who the front office manages to get at its current position.

A lot of the production of Brooklyn's eventual draft selection will depend on how competitive the team is next season. The three most recent sixth-overall picks all received substantial playing time in their rookie seasons.

While none of them have turned into stars, Johnson and Black are both solid role players with more room to grow.

As a rookie on the worst team in the NBA, Johnson started in 42 of his 60 games played. He averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and two assists per game on 41.9% field goal shooting and 35.8% three-point shooting.

Johnson is still only 20 years old, but he may find it hard to get as many opportunities on a Washington Wizards team set for a major leap next season. His versatile scoring should help him to continue finding ways onto the court.

The oldest of the three most recent No. 6 picks is Black, yet he is still 22 years old. He's a prime example that it takes time for players to reach their potential, even when they're drafted that high.

Black went from averaging 4.6 points, 1.3 assists and 0.8 stocks per game as a rookie to averaging 15 points, 3.7 assists and 2.1 stocks per game in his third season. He's not the most efficient player, shooting 44.7% from the field and 33.3% from deep, but is a reliable starter due to his two-way impact.

The worst-case scenario would be if the Nets drafted a player on the trajectory of Salaün in the draft. He's approaching 21 years old going into his third season and his playing time went down considerably in this campaign.

Salaün went from playing 60 games as a rookie to 37 as a sophomore. His scoring and efficiency actually went up, but all other major numbers went down.

If there's one thing to learn from recent sixth-overall picks, it's that patience is necessary. There's only been one All-Star among the last 15 No. 6 picks –– Damian Lillard in 2012 –– meaning Brooklyn is likely getting a player who will play a specific role rather than lead the team.

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