Nets 'Rookies' to Receive More Attention, Minutes in Upcoming Season

The Brooklyn Nets have three young players with reasons for added playing time.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets are angling towards a rebuild, and even though they didn't have any players selected in this year's draft, they have three from the 2023 NBA Draft, and none of them played much in their rookie years.

However, that is expected to change in the 2024-25 campaign.

"The top of next year’s draft is the focus, but the Nets do have three second-year guys with some intrigue. Noah Clowney had a couple of big games down the stretch of last season, Jalen Wilson had a terrific Summer League (21.8 points in 29.4 minutes per game), and Dariq Whitehead (who played in just two games last season) was the No. 2 player in his class coming out of high school. All three should see major minutes in ’24-25," NBA.com contributor John Schuhmann writes.

Clowney, Wilson and Whitehead all provide something unique to the table, and the Nets can focus more on their development as opposed to wins and losses because they control the rights to their own pick this year. The Nets won't tank, but losses in the upcoming season will at least have a bright side that Brooklyn will gain better odds for the top pick.

This means that Clowney, Wilson and Whitehead should see considerable action this season to determine if any of them are worth keeping for the long haul.

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