Brooklyn Nets NBA Draft Notebook: Legends Classic Takes Over Barclays Center

Texas' Tre Johnson and Syracuse's Donnie Freeman were the names to watch for Brooklyn Nets fans on night one of the Legends Classic.

Nov 8, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Houston Christian Huskies at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Barclays Center is hosting the final of the UKG Legends Classic, giving local fans a chance to see a few of the top prospects in college basketball that — who knows — could be playing on the Brooklyn Nets’ herringbone court in the seasons to come. 

Thursday’s slate featured the Texas Longhorns defeating the Syracuse Orange 70-66, followed by a nail-biting 78-77 Saint Joseph's Hawks win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. St. Joe's and the ‘Cuse will battle it out in the Legends Classic championship game on Friday night at 9 PM ET. 

Watching Texas practice at Brooklyn Nets facility. Projected top-10 pick Tre Johnson and head coach Rodney Terry getting ready for Syracuse tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/K0gWv0emsg

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 20, 2024

Most of the eyes on night one of the event were on Texas freshman Tre Johnson. Johnson, who went to the Nets with the No. 9 pick in ESPN’s most recent 2025 mock draft, is a bucket-getting 2-guard who is not too far away from Cam Thomas as a prospect. He finished with 16 points on 4-of-18 shooting and 1-of-7 from three, although his 35 minutes on the court also featured solid defensive engagement and willing passing.

Syracuse's draft name to watch was 6-foot-9 Bahamian forward Donnie Freeman. The Orange freshman needs to keep getting stronger, but he shows flashes being able to put the ball on the floor and drill shots off the pull-up. He only played in 15 minutes and wrapped up his first night of the Legends Classic with nine points. It will be interesting to see if Freeman gets more run in the third place game against Texas Tech. 

But despite most fans turning out to Barclays to see Syracuse, the most local team, it was actually the second game of the night which was the most exciting. Texas Tech's triumvirate of JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian combined for 57 of the team's 77 points. Toppin, just by himself, had five more offensive rebounds (12) than the entire St. Joe's team combined. 

However, St. Joe's also has its own powerful capable of holding its own against most teams in the nation. Guard Xzayvier Brown had a poor shooting night but drained all thirteen of his free throw attempts. Erik Reynolds II and Rasheer Fleming did the rest, although there were some nervy moments at Barclays after the latter fouled out.

As of Friday morning, the Nets are 6-9. Tankathon projects Brooklyn to start picking at No. 10 via the Milwaukee Bucks (also 6-9) right now, although that will likely change. The Nets could have up to six picks in total in the 2025 draft.

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