Brooklyn Nets NBA Draft Notebook: Bleacher Report Releases Updated Mock Draft

The Nets come away with a big haul in B/R’s most recent mock.

Dec 18, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Georgetown Hoyas forward Thomas Sorber (35) takes a shot during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets were predicted to select Ben Saraf, Thomas Sorber, Labaron Philon, Miles Byrd, JT Toppin and Mark Sears in Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft.

B/R has the Nets selecting those players with the No. 9, 20, 24, 25, 39 and 51 picks. Brooklyn is getting three first-rounders via the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, plus an additional second-round pick via the Miami Heat. 

Saraf is an Israeli combo guard playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany. He’s a crafty, lefty ballhandler who probably prefers to score than pass, but can do a bit of the latter. Saraf is 18 until April and he’s been productive across multiple competitions in Europe, averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 assists in 23.1 minutes across all leagues so far. The question marks about Saraf largely surround his middling athleticism, finishing at the rim and off-ball versatility. 

Sorber was a four-star prospect upon arriving at Georgetown, but he quickly became one of the most efficient freshmen in all of college basketball. Right now, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen are the only first-year players with a better box plus-minus than Sorber. The Hoyas big finishes plays on both ends at the rim, rebounds, blocks shots and makes free throws. However, he plays an old-school brand of post-up basketball, his positional athleticism isn’t that strong and he’s yet to face a run of tough opponents. 

Philon is another four-star breakout. The Alabama combo guard had already previously been mocked to the Nets by B/R. Here is what Nets On SI wrote then: “Philon is speedy, capable out of ball screens, pesky on defense and shows tremendous year-to-year improvement. In the NBA, he projects as a guard who’ll fit in both on- and off-ball.”

Third-year wing Byrd is a sleeper who plays for San Diego State. He was quietly solid last season after redshirting his freshman year, but he only played about 14 minutes per game. Byrd has more than doubled that, and he's gone from scoring four points a night to 13.1 on 39.5% shooting from three. Plus, he’s a competitive defender who won’t necessarily get picked on despite not possessing too much explosiveness.

Toppin is another member of the undersized center archetype. The Texas Tech sophomore impressed as a freshman at New Mexico prior to transferring to his new school. Toppin was also previously mocked to Brooklyn by B/R: “His production finishing and blocking shots at the basket, as well as making some reads on the short roll, remains. Toppin is a valuable college player, but the concern with him going forward is that he’s too small to be a center in the NBA and not versatile enough to slide down a position.”

Mark Sears is a small, fifth-year guard who has basically mastered the college game, but would face questions at the next level over his score-first focus, below-average positional size and age-related upside. However, late in the second round, it can make sense to target a ready-to-go backup ballhandler who has experience running a team, such as the Alabama vet, and has the numbers to back that up.

The Nets are currently 10-16. They're back in action on Thursday night for a road game against the Toronto Raptors, another team whose fanbase is anxiously refreshing the Tankathon draft standings.

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