There always is a certain amount of wishful thinking that goes into predicting what a team like the Nets, who have the 29th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, are going to do when they are on the clock.
With nearly every team getting a pick before general manager Billy King gets his turn, the Nets will be at the mercy of other teams’ selections. But based on King’s lengthy draft history and his comments Monday, you can expect he will be looking for players with specific skill sets who — if things break well — could be early contributors.
“We’re not going to take someone that we’re projecting is going to be a certain thing,” King said. “We’re going to figure out what they can do now, because when you try to project, you can make a mistake.
“If they’ve got a good skill set, does that translate to the pros? That’s what you try to build off of.”
If you look at the way King has operated his drafts — going back to his lengthy stint with the 76ers — he has a habit of taking four-year players who are ready to step in and contribute right away. It’s a formula that has led to King grabbing several players who have carved out productive NBA careers — Kyle Korver in 2003, and Mason Plumlee and Markel Brown the past two years for the Nets, players who provided some production as a rookie.
The Nets won’t have their draft pick next season — it’s headed to Boston as part of the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce deal two summers ago — but finding a player who can contribute right away as the Nets try to remain competitive before they can restock their roster in free agency next summer would be a nice bonus.
So if the Nets are looking for what players can do right now, what could they use? Shooting would be a good place to start, as their top 3-point shooter for the season — Deron Williams, at 36.7 percent — ranked outside the top 60 shooters in the league. So would quickness and athleticism, something both King and Nets coach Lionel Hollins have said is a priority, with Hollins saying the Nets need to upgrade those qualities at point guard.
Both men have also said they’re hoping to add more intangible qualities this offseason, beginning with the draft — namely toughness and basketball intelligence. Hollins cited those as reasons why the Warriors were able to win this year’s championship.
“When you’re trying to put together a team,” Hollins said, “you’re trying to put together a culture of guys who are passionate about playing; who have a good feel for playing, and they go out and play with intensity; [They] are hard-nosed. They don’t back down; they don’t quit, because that’s what you win with.”
Hollins spoke after a tour of the team’s new practice facility in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Originally scheduled to be finished this fall in order to be ready for the start of the season, the target date to has been pushed back to early 2016, likely sometime around March 1.
“This is New York,” said Irina Pavlova, president of Onexim Sports and Entertainment. “Actually, now that we’re dealing with this, it gives me a new sense of appreciation for getting Barclays done on time.
“There’s just so many little things that delayed the project. … It wasn’t just one event. It just took a little bit longer.”
Until the facility, sponsored by the Hospital for Special Surgery, is complete, the Nets will continue to use their East Rutherford, N.J. facility.