Nets Prospect Watch: Week 1 of College Basketball

Potential Brooklyn draftees were showing out in their NCAA season debuts.

Nov 4, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Manhattan Jaspers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Week one of college basketball was exciting for not only NCAA fans but also Brooklyn Nets fans. The Nets are expected to draft toward the top of the lottery, and as a result, the community is paying close attention to the top players in college basketball.

Week one saw massive performances from many of the nation's top prospects. Many freshmen had incredible debuts, showing why the 2025 NBA Draft class is loaded with talent.

Is this one of the best freshman class of all time? We’ve seen so many big performances in the first week of CBB

Cooper Flagg
Tre Johnson
Dylan Harper
Egor Demin
Kasparas Jakucionis
Derik Queen
Will Riley
Asa Newell
Tahaad Pettiford

Have all had massive performances

— nbadraftpoint (@draftpoint2024) November 10, 2024

Not to mention

Kon Kneuppel
Thomas Sorber
Robert Hinton
Boogie Fland
Liam McNeeley
Gabe Pozzato
Flory Bidunga
VJ Edgecombe
Khaman Maluach
Labaron Philon
Jayden Quaintance
Moustapha Thiam

And we haven’t even seen Ace Bailey yet….

Ridiculous

— nbadraftpoint (@draftpoint2024) November 10, 2024

Seemingly all of the lottery prospects had great debuts, with some following it up with solid second games. Duke's freshmen played two games this week, and in two wins, freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel led the way. Flagg is averaging 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals, showcasing his ability to be effective from anywhere on the floor.

Flagg was protecting the paint, making hustle plays and rim running like a big, but has shown great ball handling and passing. After the first week, he's still the No. 1 pick in many eyes.

Knueppel, although not projected to be a lottery pick right now, is showing why he should be. The Wisconsin native is showcasing range, averaging 18.5 points on 56.5% from the field and 50.0% from deep.

Perhaps the most impressive freshman performances of the week were from Georgia's Asa Newell and Maryland's Derik Queen. Newell, a 6-foot-11 forward from Destin, FL, had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the team's win over Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs needed everything they could get from Newell, as they barely squeezed out a five-point win.

Queen, the freshman from Baltimore, was incredible in his collegiate debut. In a 79-49 win over Manhattan, he put up 22 points, 20 rebounds, and two blocks. It was Maryland's first 20-20 game since Joe Smith in 1995. It was the first 20-20 game for a freshman in Terps history.

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.