The Nets made NBA Draft history on Wednesday by becoming the first team to select five players in the opening round. However, some are prematurely labeling Brooklyn’s draft class as busts before they’ve even played a summer league game.
“I don’t see a single All-Star here,” CBS Sports analyst and former NBA point guard Avery Johnson said. “When you look at this list, who is going to make a shot? Yes, you can draft playmakers, but if you can’t make shots, there’s not as many plays to be made.”
Rather than trading up for a top lottery talent, the Nets retained all five first-round picks, drafting BYU’s Egor Demin, French guard Nolan Traoré, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Israeli guard Ben Saraf and Michigan forward Danny Wolf.
Common themes unite the Nets’ draft picks: young players who make smart decisions, pass with precision, and have untapped potential.
“Look, this is a great problem to have,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. “Notably being short on picks over the course of the last nine years since I’ve been here, it’s exciting. It’s exciting when we have a great group of scouts, obviously the draft led by B.J. Johnson, and to add a group like this at this particular moment in time for us, why not add as much talent as we possibly can and throw them out there?
Brooklyn’s offense struggled with consistent creation last season, an area where Demin, Traoré, Saraf, and Wolf excel. Adding Powell bolsters the team’s wing versatility and athleticism. The Nets prioritized high-IQ playmakers and connective passers, but with all five draft picks being raw talents, it’s challenging to predict who might emerge as an immediate contributor.
None are viewed as elite shooters at this stage of their careers.
“I think it goes hand-in-hand with IQ, and how they play the game,” Marks said. “It’s 0.5-second basketball, you catch and make a decision, you don’t hold the ball… We’re trying to find a brand of basketball that not only we think translates to a competitive brand out there and it’s going to fit with the Brooklyn community, but it’s also where the NBA is going: guys who can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions, and make it hard on the defense.”
Four of Brooklyn’s five draft picks were guards, including three point guards. The Nets hope at least one or two will emerge as the facilitator they need, especially with veteran guard D’Angelo Russell likely to sign elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent.
The Nets, backed by the NBA’s largest international scouting department, rely on the global expertise of Marks and head coach Jordi Fernandez. While the franchise supports its draft choices, some argue that the talent-rich 2025 NBA Draft demanded a more balanced approach, as heavily focusing on one position group seems like an inefficient use of draft capital.
This skepticism has fueled doubts about the value of Brooklyn’s picks, with NBA insiders questioning whether they surpass even lesser-known talent already on the roster.
“I got some people telling me some things about Brooklyn, people are making fun of these draft picks,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. “I got people saying to me, executives and agents, they’re like, ‘I was watching them play three two-way guys during this year so that they can clap for taking the guys they’ve chosen.’ He’s like, ‘These two-way guys might be just as good as the guys they’ve taken.”
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