Nets' historic 2025 draft class panned for Summer League showing
NBA analyst John Hollinger did not hold back on the Brooklyn Nets' draft class' performance in the NBA Summer League.
Brooklyn was active in this year's draft, selecting five players in the first round. Four of them took part in the summer games, but Hollinger said their displays left a lot of room for improvement.
'Four of the Nets' five first-round picks played in Vegas (we never saw Drake Powell), and wow, this was not good. Two of the three worst-performing first-rounders by PER were Nets imports Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf, while fellow first-rounders Danny Wolf and Egor Demin weren't much better. Given that many league observers already had questions about Brooklyn's choices and strategy on draft night, this was not a great kickoff,' Hollinger said.
'While some of these struggles can be written off as shooting variance, Traoré, in particular, looked overmatched. The guard prospect didn't have a single steal or block in his 67 minutes and only shot 7 of 23 from the field in his three games. Saraf had identical shooting numbers but at least spiked his box score with some promising defense and playmaking.'
Hollinger even pointed out one aspect of the team's draft class, which was the poor fit.
'One other thing that became obvious while watching these guys try to play together was how poorly they fit with one another. All four of the first-rounders who played are guys who need the ball in their hands to be effective but aren't particularly threatening from the perimeter. That often resulted in situations where somebody like Saraf or Wolf was in the corner as an alleged floor-spacer,' he said.
What lies ahead for Nets this offseason
If John Hollinger can notice the flaws from the players in the Summer League, the Nets can certainly see it too.
They progress through the offseason with plenty of questions to answer as they navigate through their rebuild. They haven't returned to the playoffs since 2023, still figuring out the core of players to build around.
While they have Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. as their key talents, Brooklyn is still in the early stages of building a solid squad as next season will be tough for them. A lot of challenges will come their way, and it will be up to them on how they approach it.
Related: Cam Johnson hilariously reveals how he learned about Nets trade
Related: Nets coach reveals team's feelings on Cam Thomas amid slow contract negotiation
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
NBA champion leaves OKC Thunder for Spurs
Such is the nature of the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw some roster changes this offseason. After a historic season, the NBA champions will enter the 2025-26 campaign as a popular pick to repeat because of the roster continuity they'll sport. There are a handful of changes, though, particularly at the bottom of the depth chart. After two seasons with the Thunder, Adam Flagler wasn't brought back. He was a two-way player who sporadically played at the NBA level. Flagler signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the San Antonio Spurs. He'll be at training camp with the hopes of getting another two-way deal. If not, he'll likely be signed to their G League squad. The writing was on the wall with Flagler's departure from the Thunder. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2025 Summer League, which meant he needed to find a new NBA home after the two-week event. He landed in a good spot that's still in a rebuild. Flagler averaged 1.7 points on 25.2% shooting in his two seasons on the Thunder. While he struggled to find his shot at the NBA level, he was a top-notch scorer at the G League. His outside shot helped the OKC Blue bring home the 2024 G League championship. Flagler hopes to extend his NBA career. The 25-year-old went undrafted out of Baylor in 2023. If he's near the end of the road of his time in the league, he has two seasons and a championship ring in his pocket. That's more than what other players with similar starting positions can say.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Should the Nets have tried to sign Rockets' Fred VanVleet?
The Brooklyn Nets have made some moves this offseason in an effort to alter the roster along with adding draft picks in the early stages of this rebuild. Brooklyn has not added any marquee free-agents over the course of this summer as they have used their league-leading cap space for other means, but there may have been a chance for them to maximize their free-agency prospects. "Look, I said this at the time, if I was Brooklyn, I would have been ecstatic to bring in Fred VanVleet as my point guard that can help my young guys develop," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie said of Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet during a recent episode of the "Game Theory" podcast. The episode was centered around Vecenie and The Athletic's Es Baraheni breaking down the top 10 moves that happened during this offseason. "I can't imagine a better guard to put next to Cam Thomas just in terms of steadiness," Vecenie continued while talking about VanVleet. "Defense, willing to fight, everything like that. I thought he'd have a market and it just ultimately ended up that maybe he just didn't have a market, right? Two (years) for $50 (million) for Fred VanVleet. That's an unbelievable deal in my opinion." Throughout the offseason, there weren't many reports connecting the Nets to VanVleet as he was looking to maximize what he could get in free-agency this summer. Prior to signing a two-year, $50 million contract to return to the Rockets, VanVleet had a player option for the 2025-26 season worth $44.9 million. Brooklyn had the most cap space coming into this offseason, but a player like VanVleet would most likely have been looking for to play for a contender. In terms of free-agency signings, the Nets have re-signed forward Ziaire Williams and center Day'Ron Sharpe along with signing forward Ricky Council IV and guard Fanbo Zeng. With Brooklyn selecting guard Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, it makes sense that the team didn't sign VanVleet even though he could have helped Demin grow into his role as the franchise's next point guard.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
2024-25 Thunder player grades: Adam Flagler
The calendar has flipped to August, which means we've officially hit the low point of the NBA cycle. The next couple of months are the driest part of the year. Everybody has headed to vacation and awaits training camp to kick off the 2025-26 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season campaign that eventually led to the franchise's first title with a 2025 NBA Finals Game 7 win. They'll enter next season as a favorite to be a rare repeat winner. To reflect on their title run, Thunder Wire will conduct 2024-25 season grades for all 19 players who suited up for the squad at one point during the year. Sixteenth up is Adam Flagler, who spent the year on a two-way deal: 2024-25 statistics: Advanced stats: Significant Percentile Finishes: Contract: Thoughts: If Flagler showed anything in his first two seasons on the Thunder, it's that he isn't afraid to hunt for his shot. The 25-year-old couldn't make an impact at the NBA level, but it wasn't from a lack of trying. He tried to find his outside shot but never could. Flagler spent last season on a two-way deal. Because the Thunder blew teams out left and right, that provided plenty of garbage time for the end of the bench to play in. He logged 37 games. The stats weren't pretty, but he gained a reputation among OKC fans as somebody who leaves it all on the court. While Flagler dominated at the G League level, he didn't translate that success to the NBA. He helped the OKC Blue win a championship in 2024 by being a score-first guard who can light it up from deep. He wasn't afforded those same looks in the NBA. His undersized frame only hindered his ability to get real minutes. There was some hoopla involved with Flager at times last season. When he was given rotation minutes, Thunder fans sighed in frustration. His quick trigger, combined with bad outside shooting luck, made fans feel like they wasted possessions. But when you're at the NBA level, you can't hesitate on your shot. Especially if you're known as an outside shooter like Flagler. The results might've been ugly, but the volume was too small to overreact to. Don't get me wrong, there's no justifying shooting below 20% from the outside, but his shot-taking process was fine. Moving Forward: After a couple of years on the Thunder, it was time for Flagler to move on. He spent the 2025 Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks and signed a training camp deal with the San Antonio Spurs. It's a fresh start the 25-year-old needs if he wants to compete for a roster spot. Perhaps his NBA championship buys him some pedigree. But if Flagler wants another chance at the NBA, he must convince teams that his outside shooting numbers were an aberration and that, instead, look at his G League numbers, where he was afforded time to get into rhythm. If Flagler can't make the Spurs, he's a textbook candidate to return to the G League. He could be a bubble NBA guy who's too good for the G League but not good enough to fit into his ideal role in the NBA. There's also the possibility of going overseas. Either way, Flagler needs a strong preseason. As simple as it might be, his shooting percentages must go up. You can only get so much leeway after shooting 19% from the outside through his first two seasons. That type of efficiency is a career-ender, regardless of the context behind it. But hey, if Flagler is near the end of the road, he carved out a decent career. He spent two seasons in the NBA after going undrafted in 2023. He was part of one of the greatest teams in league history and will have a championship ring. Most players at his spot finish with far fewer accolades and time in the league. Final Grade: D
