The Brooklyn Nets season ended on Sunday in Toronto with a 136-101 loss to the Raptors. It\u00a0was a conclusion that placed the the Nets 13th in the Eastern Conference standings at 20-62. Only the Indiana Pacers (19-63) and Washington Wizards (17-65) had a worse record in the 30-team National Basketball Association.<\/p>\n
Now, the Nets look ahead\u00a0to the May 10 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine\u00a0the spot at which they select a player \u2014 barring a trade of the pick \u2014 on June 23 at the draft, taking place at the Barclays Center, their home arena. Perhaps that player will change the trajectory of the franchise. <\/p>\n
If the Nets are lucky enough to land the number one pick, Anicet\u00a0Dybantsa Jr., better known as AJ, who turned 19 in\u00a0January, should be the team\u2019s selection. The versatile 6-9 forward led NCAA men\u2019s Division Basketball in scoring this past season as a freshman, averaging\u00a025.5 points. He also grabbed 6.8\u00a0rebounds\u00a0and dished 3.7 assists for Brigham Young\u00a0University. <\/p>\n
Freshman Cameron\u00a0Boozer, the 2026 Naismith Men\u2019s College Player of the Year, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 38\u00a0games for the Duke Blue Devils. Another freshman,\u00a0Darryn Paterson,\u00a0a 6-6 guard who averaged 20.2 points for the Kansas\u00a0Jayhawks, and Dybantsa, are viewed by many NBA general managers and talent evaluators as the two potential franchise players in the draft. <\/p>\n
The Nets have had the overall No. 1 pick twice. In 1990 and 2000 as the then-New Jersey Nets, taking Derrick Coleman and Kenyon Martin respectively. The Brooklyn Nets entered this season in a transparent state of building from the ground up. They had five rookie first round picks on the roster. The young veterans \u2014 27-year-old Michael Porter Jr.; Nic Claxton (26); and Noah Clowney (21), who has played three seasons \u2014 were expected to lead the first-year group and collective squad while making steady individual progress under head coach Jordi Fernandez. <\/p>\n
The results were mixed. The 6-10 Porter averaged a career high in points per game at 24.2 but missed 30 games due to various injuries. Claxton (6-9 and 11.7 points), starting at center, was solid, yet at times, appeared destined to be a valuable second unit center. Clowney, playing power forward, had stretches during which he showed the ability to be an effective rotation player, averaging 12.3 points, but shot just 39.6% and rebounded at a low 4.1 per game rate for someone with a long 6-10 frame. <\/p>\n
Now. team owner Joseph Tsai has to decide a path forward and whether it will include Fernandez, which it should, and GM Sean Marks, who has been in his current position since 2016. Winning the draft lottery would be a decisive marker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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