The NBA Draft is less than 10 days away, and teams are starting to hone in on who they’ll select. The most talked-about team in the draft is the Brooklyn Nets, who have a league-high four first-round picks, starting at No. 8.
The Nets are the most interesting team not only because they have so many picks, but also because they have no real positional restrictions. With no player off the trade table, and the pending free agency of star scorer Cam Thomas, Brooklyn can truly take the best player available.
The Nets particularly need a point guard after the departure of Dennis Schroder and Ben Simmons. With the two veteran playmakers gone for months now, Brooklyn could really use a franchise floor general to take over the offense.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports recently published his fourth NBA mock draft, and has the Nets getting just that. At No. 8, he has Brooklyn selecting Jeremiah Fears, a freshman point guard out of Oklahoma.
“The Nets have no point guards under contract, and they’ve long needed a fixture at the position,” O’Connor wrote. “Fears is a dynamic guard with a twitchy attacking style and a knack for coming through as a clutch shooter.
“He was one of college basketball’s youngest freshmen, and it showed with his shaky decision-making as a shooter and passer. But he has a feel for shot creation and a handle that lets him get anywhere on the floor, so he may only need time to emerge as a star.”
O’Connor has Fears going at No. 8, right in between the Philadelphia 76ers selecting Khaman Maluach (Duke) via trade, and the Toronto Raptors taking a chance on Carter Bryant (Arizona). O’Connor does not have the Nets making any draft trades, although they are the most volatile to a move considering their number of picks.
At 18 years old, Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this past season for the Sooners. He was an incredible shot creator and slasher at just 6-foot-4, and he can immediately take over the scoring load in Brooklyn. The only concern is whether Fears and Thomas can coexist, as the two play extremely similarly.
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