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[Brooklyn Nets]

The Brooklyn Podcast: Pooch and Collin’s LIVE Reaction to the NBA Draft Lottery

THE PICK (NUMBER) IS IN. JOIN THE STAGE!

After 82 torrid games, countless spins on the tankathon simulator, and almost an entire year of anticipation…the Brooklyn Nets have their lottery pick locked in. Join Pooch and Collin as they give a live reaction to the pick and what it means for the organization going forward.

Can’t make it? Check it out elsewhere...

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Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/12...ollins-live-reaction-to-the-nba-draft-lottery

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

DRAFT WATCH #10: Will it be the Sum of all Fears for Brooklyn Nets?

Put aside the conspiracy theories, talk of hoop deities and Nets luck. It’s the morning after

May 12 has come and gone. The borough of Brooklyn did not levitate as we had hoped. Brooklyn’s Nets in fact lost ground in Chicago, dropping from the sixth best odds in the Lottery to the eighth slot in the Draft. Nothing you can do about it. The lottery did what the NBA wanted: discourage tanking. It was third straight lottery where the team with the worst record wound up with the fifth pick, etc. etc.

All that said, the Nets still have a mid-lottery pick in a generational draft, the first time that’s happened in forever, another four picks — three of them in the first round — along with between $45 million and $60 million in cap space, an owner with a proven willingness to spend, a very good, perhaps great, head coach, experienced front office with a solid draft record ... and a home address in New York City. Moreover, they have flexibility.

They could attempt to move up in a trade involving a swap of their other picks and/or a player. They could use some of their 29 tradeable picks, including 13 firsts, Remember, nine teams don’t have any firsts in this draft and two have no picks at all. Or they spring a trade involving one of their players. Plenty of options to explore in next six weeks.

In other words, there’s a lot to be positive about. Or to be less charitable, Buck Up!

For the draftniks and pundits, things are still fluid, but that didn’t stop any of them from posting their own predictions on what June 25 and 26 at Barclays will look like. If you’re looking for a consensus pick at No. 8, it’s too early. The closest you get is Jeremiah Fears. The Oklahoma point guard is the favorite of three mock drafts. Kon Knueppel and Derik Queen get two mentions. Three players — Derik Queen, Tre Johnson and Kaspars Jakucionis — were named once each,

Looking at all five picks, the leader is Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez with four mentions followed by Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and American power forwards Yaxel Lendebourg and Rasheer Fleming, with three each. Overall, more than a dozen players are linked to Brooklyn. So a lot of uncertainty.

Added to that uncertainty is the question of how many picks the Nets will actually use. We might not know that until the doors open at Barclays on the night of June 25.

So here we go ... again: Ten mocks.

ESPN​

As one might expect, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo were the first up with their mock, coming less than a half hour after the final envelopes were opened on stage at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Although the Nets dropped two spots, Givony still likes their prospects.

They might be disappointed to drop a few spots in the draft from No. 6 to No. 8, but they remain in the back end of a range where clear talent still exists, and they have the pieces to potentially move back up the board if they decide to get aggressive.

Indeed, Givony is one of several draftniks who think Sean Marks & co. may try to rectify their drop by trying to move up within the lottery. Jake Fischer and Sam Quinn are among the others. Here’s who the ESPN duo like as for now.

#8 - Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke

#19 - Joan Beringer, PF, 6’11” Cedevita Olimpija (France)

#26 - Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm Ulm (Israel)

#27 - Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s

#36 - Labaron Philon, PG/SG, 6’4” Alabama

Knueppel has been hanging around the sixth through 10th spots for much of the post-NCAA timeframe so it’s no surprise. Beringer, on the other hand, has been moving up of late, mainly do to this defense. Writes Woo:

Though likely far away from being a plus contributor in the NBA, Beringer has plenty of developmental appeal as a defensive-oriented center with fluid mobility. He’s quite raw offensively and would strongly benefit from landing on a team that can afford him patience and developmental minutes.

In general, Givony and Woo think point guard may be the top priority for Sean Marks & co.

The Nets have a void in the backcourt, depending on what they do with their first few picks, and this situation will be considered highly attractive to any of the guards slated to be picked in this range.

Bleacher Report​

Also seen as an insightful duo, Sam Wasserman and Zach Buckley think that the Nets will look at a variety of types when it comes their turn throughout the two nights, but think Brooklyn will go big.

#8 - Derik Queen, C/PF , 6’10”, Maryland

#19 - Liam McNeeley, SG, 6’7”, UConn

#26 - Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s

#27 - Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’10”, UAB

#36 - Labaron Philon, PG/SG, 6’4” Alabama

Queen is famous among Nets fans for his decision to use an image of him at HSS Training Center on his Instagram profile. There’s a lot to like as Zach Buckley writes:

Queen is a unique prospect who could really impact the game with a seldom seen blend of size, scoring, vision and feel. It’ll take the right kind of roster to first let him spread his wings and later to supplement his strengths and cover for his weaknesses. With Brooklyn being in the blank-slate stage of its roster-building, the Nets could try to slowly construct something around Queen if they don’t find any quick-fix options this offseason.

Landeborg has not yet committed to the Draft but as raw as he is, a relatively newcomer to hoops, he presents scouts with athletic skills ripe for development.

At 6’9”, 240 pounds, the versatility to attack, finish plays, pass, get second-chance points and make plays defensively should lower the bar when it comes to his shooting. And it’s still not out of the question that he can develop into a capable catch-and-shoot threat. His 25 made threes are almost twice as many as he hit last season.

Yahoo! Sports​

Historically, no one has more of an exhaustive take on draft prospects than Kevin O’Connor no matter where he hangs his hat. You might even find an ancient byline of his on this website. He has a tendency to like smarter players and his best prospects for the Nets include players with notably high BBIQ, particularly passing skills.

#8 - Derik Queen, C/PF , 6’10”, Maryland

#19 - Nolan Traore, PG, 6’4”, Saint Quentin (France)

#26 - Danny Wolf, C, 7’0”, Michigan (Israel)

#27 - Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm Ulm (Israel)

#36 - Hugo Gonzalez, SF, 6’6”, Real Madrid (Spain)

At the beginning of scouting season, Nolan Traore was seen by many at a top five or six prospect . His combination of passing skills and speed held a lot of allure. But his jump to the French big leagues didn’t work out as well as expected although of late his numbers, particularly shooting, have improved.

He’s the fastest player in this draft class with acceleration like a Bugatti. He’s able to go coast-to-coast with a flash, and with NBA spacing he could thrive getting downhill in the pick-and-roll to draw defenses and activate his playmaking.

Traore isn’t just a speed demon. He keeps the ball on a string with crossovers, hesitations, and improvisation. If he’s able to develop a knockdown jumper, he could be tough to stop because of his ways to create separation. For now, he’s at his best when he’s attacking the basket to score acrobatically.

The Athletic/New York Times​

Sam Vecenie lives in Australia but despite that handicap, his analysis of the NBA is voluminous and that includes the NBA Draft. Recently, he supplemented his faraway take by visiting various camps in the U.S. where prospects are working out.

#8 - Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma

#19 - Asa Newell, PF, 6’11” Georgia

#26 - Hugo Gonzalez, SF, 6’6”, Real Madrid (Spain)

#27 - Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s

#36 - Drake Powell, SF, 6’6”, North Carolina

Fears, who’s flashy, charismatic and smart is someone a number of Nets fans would like to see their team select although apparently so the fans of a number of other teams with higher picks. Team executives, however, are divided, as Vecenie writes.

The reality for Fears is that teams and evaluators either really love him or they don’t. He’s a very polarizing player for evaluators around the league, because you either believe in the upside of him as a primary ballhandler and think he can be a true top-tier option, or you don’t and you think he profiles more as a backup. There are genuinely scouts and executives I’ve talked to who think he’s a top-five upside bet in this draft because of his handle and creativity. Others see him more as a backup long-term and as a bet to take in the late teens or even the 20s.

Like a number of draftniks, Vecenie is also unsure about Fleming whose measurements and testing at the NBA Combine have wowed. His 7’5” wingspan is one positive as is his top combine time in the shuttle run which measures agility. Fleming also shot 39% from three at St. Joe’s. An ideal 3-and-D? Maybe, writes Vecenie.

He doesn’t yet process things happening around him on the court all that quickly and needs to keep getting experience. But any team that values looking the part as well as the potential to shoot it will definitely have interest in Fleming.

Tankathon​

Well, we won’t checking this site four, five, six times a day now that the Lottery is over. But like ESPN, they had their mock up minutes after the lottery concluded, a credit to its founder Matt Hoover, a software engineer from Chicago.

#8 - Khaman Maluach, C, 7’2”, Duke (South Sudan)

#19 - Carter Bryant, SF, 6’7” Arizona

#26 - Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’10”, UAB

#27 - Walter Clayton Jr, S6, 6’3”, Florida

#36 - Hugo Gonzalez, SF, 6’6”, Real Madrid (Spain)

Tankathon doesn’t provide much analysis but Gonzalez is someone who a number of draftniks throughout the process have linked to the Nets. Born in Madrid, Hugo joined Real Madrid’s youth team at nine years old. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a part of the junior team and the reserve team in the Liga EBA during the 2022–23 season. He has a reputation for a high motor.

NBADraft.net​

Aran Smith, like Jonathan Givony, has been around forever and his mock drafts while sometimes unconventional, has a wealth of data and analysis going back years and it’s free. His predictions for the Nets are predictably out of the mainstream, but that makes them interesting.

#8 - Kasparas Jakucionis PG/SG, 6’6” Illinois (Lithuania)

#19 - Nique Clifford, SG, 6’6”, Colorado State

#26 - Jase Richardson, SG/PG, 6’3” Michigan State

#27 - Noah Penda, SG/SF, 6’6” Le Mans (France)

#36 - Danny Wolf, C, 7’0”, Michigan (Israel)

Draftniks at NBADraft.net like Clifford more than most but make an argument that he is more ready than most as well.

Clifford profiles as a polished, NBA-ready wing who can contribute early as a versatile defender and pick-and-roll playmaker. Unlike many wings in his class, his value stems less from catch-and-shoot prowess and more from his ability to operate in ball screens, read defenses, and create offense as a secondary initiator. He’s a strong, fluid athlete with above-average explosiveness off one or two feet

USA Today​

Our first Artificial Intelligence (AI) - authored mock draft using Microsoft’s Co-Pilot! We’ve wondered what use the Nets are making of AI, if any, considering the owner is one of the world’s leading advocates of the technology. The Nets aren’t saying.

#8 - Kon Knueppel, wing, 6’7”, Duke

Alas, USA Today only looks at the lottery in this AI experiment. Here’s what Co-Pilot says of Knueppel.

Knueppel is a high-IQ shooter who can space the floor. Brooklyn needs consistent perimeter shooting, and Knueppel fits the bill.

Meh.

SB Nation​

The home team mock, by Ricky O’Donnell, advertises itself as an “instant” mock but its level of detail looks pretty deep to us.

#8 - Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma

#19 - Noah Penda, SG/SF, 6’6” LeMans (France)

#26 - Danny Wolf, C, 7’0” Michigan (Israel)

#27 - Ben Saraf, PG, 6’6” Ratiopharm Ulm (Israel)

SB Nation only mocks the first round.

O’Donnell is a fan of Penda’s defense.

Penda is a big wing who emerged this year as a potential first-round pick for his playmaking ability on both ends of the floor. He has fantastic defensive instincts and sharp hands (2.6 percent steal rate, 3.5 percent block rate) with an ideal frame for a pro wing at 6’8, 225 pounds, with a 7-foot wingspan. He’s a good passer and smart cutter who knows how to find his way into opportunistic scoring chances.

But he has questions about the Wolf “hype.”

I’m skeptical an NBA team is going to give Wolf so many on-ball reps, and his jump shot is still shaky for a floor spacer. He hit 33.6 percent of his threes this year, but only 59.4 percent of his free throws. Wolf could be an interesting connector if his shot comes around, but his role, decision-making, and shooting are still big questions despite some lottery hype.

The Ringer​

Another historically in-depth mock, the work of Kyle Mann and Danny Chau, described as “resident player-development obsessives” by the Ringer bosses which includes Bill Simmons. As they note, the goal is to better understand the shape of basketball to come, not just to measure where they stand now.

#8 - Tre Johnson, SF, 6’6” Texas

#19 - Asa Newell, PF, 6’11” Georgia

#26 - Labaron Philon, PG/SG, 6’4” Alabama

#27 - Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C, 6’10”, UAB

The Ringer only mocks the first round.

No. 8 seems low for Johnson whose shooting has wowed scouts. Now, at the NBA Combine, it’s his athleticism that is getting attention.

Johnson is one of the Real Hooper champions of this draft, a player sure to spawn swarms of feisty Twitter warriors huffing the fumes of the unbelievable highlight reels of him scoring in every which way. Falling down, spinning over either shoulder, hand glued to his face—it doesn’t seem to matter. Johnson is the most talented pure scorer in this class. His production as a freshman in the cold and ruthless SEC tournament was undeniably impressive.

They, like other draftniks, think it’s possible that the Longhorn offense has underutilized T.J.s talents. While Johnson seems a little low, Philon seems a little high with most draftniks seeing him a high second rounder. But in general, Mann and Chau like his energy and “hypercompetitive” nature.

Philon’s gait with the ball is a bit unorthodox, but he’s quick and attacks open space, frequently reminding me of high-processing game managers like Mike Conley or Rajon Rondo. His shot will have to evolve so that he can avoid inevitably being dared to shoot in important games, but I trust that Philon will figure out how to coexist well enough with Brooklyn’s bucket-lusting guards to become a playoff series regular.

CBS Sports ​

Kyle Boone is one of three draftniks CBS Sports assigns to their mock drafts. which makes things difficult for us. This time, we decided to go with Boone’s offerings. There will be times when we choose Gary Parrish or Adam Finkelstein.

#8 - Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4”, Oklahoma

#19 - Nolan Traore, PG, 6’5” San Quentin (France)

#26 - Noah Penda, SG/SF, 6’6” LeMans (France)

#27 - Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, 7’1” Creighton

CBS Sports only mocks the first round.

Kalkbrenner is an interesting prospect for a team with so many picks (depending of course on how they keep.) He’s been described as “Luke Kornet Deluxe” which is not a bad thing. Boone describes him this say.

With four first-round picks, it only makes sense that Brooklyn will take some swings for the future and then find others who can play immediate minutes. Kalkbrenner is the latter as a defensive quarterback and drop coverage monster whose sheer size and quality hands make him serviceable offensively in a specific niche.

How soon will be do this exercise again? As of now, we’ll wait till near the actual draft... unless of course there’s some reason, like a trade, to update things.

• A single ping pong ball separated the Nets from Cooper Flagg, so now what? - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets pegged as obvious trade candidate after unlucky lottery - Erik Slater - Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/13...-it-be-the-sum-of-all-fears-for-brooklyn-nets

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

BSE Global expands media offerings with new publisher, another part of ‘destination’

The Nets and Liberty parent company has been slowly parceling out plans to create a “destination” around Barclays Center. The latest: in-house media properties.

Never estimate the ambition or the wherewithal of BSE Global.

The parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and Barclays Center, owned by the Tsai (85%) and Koch (15%) families, has quietly in recent months committed around $200 million to improvements at Barclays Center ($100 million); a new training center for the Liberty ($80 million); as well as the purchase of an exhibition space at the iconic One Hanson Place, the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank ($10 million) an undetermined amount for a stake in Brooklyn Paramount.

There’s also the much larger plan to create an “ecosystem” of hotels, restaurants etc. around Barclays Center, a vertical version of LA Live!, the $2.5 billion entertainment district adjacent to Crypto.com arena and Convention Center in Los Angeles. No details yet but Clara Wu Tsai reiterated the ambitions in an interview with Bloomberg News published this week.

[M]eanwhile, the Tsais are planning a major development initiative in the traffic-clogged area around Barclays. Adding hotels and restaurants, Wu Tsai says, will help draw more fans for the Liberty and Nets while also benefiting Brooklyn more broadly: Only a fraction of New York City’s 63 million annual tourists ever set foot in the borough.

It’s a big idea but there is some logic to it. Barclays is already one of the borough’s biggest draws, an established venue that sits atop the third busiest transit hub in the metro area.

The ambitions aren’t just limited to brick-and-mortar. BSE Global announced this week an expansion of its media holdings, creating a second internet publisher, Type.Set.Brooklyn, to complement Brooklyn Magazine, established last year.

Type.Set.Brooklyn is described by AdWeek as a “broader gambit from BSE Global to distill the essence of Brooklyn into a marketable commodity,” creating video content that “defines and capitalizes on Brooklyn’s distinctive brand.” It will show up on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Among the regular features will be something called “The Last Pick,” which celebrates underdog athletes.

Brooklyn Magazine, AKA BKMag, is more of a a guide to Brooklyn entertainment and fashion choices — including some related to Nets offerings. At the same time, the Nets social media content has dramatically expanded with documentaries and docuseries plus basketball-centric analysis, much of it by our own Lucas Kaplan.

Put together, expect the media to further the idea of Brooklyn — and more specifically the area around Flatbush and Atlantic — as a “destination”, not just a sports and entertainment venue, for New Yorkers and tourists alike.

“It’s a “vision where you’re coming here; you can stay at our hotel; you can go to our game; you can dine at a restaurant; you can do a conference at our conference center; you can go to the magic show venue; you can go have a drink at our bar,” Sam Zussman, the Tsais’ CEO told Bloomberg last October. “And you’re constantly in our ecosystem.”

All are likely to be stand alone entities linked to the Brooklyn ‘zeitgeist.” The BSE Global executive in charge of the media part of the plan, DeJuan Wilson told AdWeek, “We’re not looking at this as a marketing vehicle. This has to be a strong, standalone business that represents Brooklyn culture globally.”

The Nets worldwide popularity — they’re the most traveled team in NBA history and will play in China again in October — is part of the “destination” thinking as is the Liberty’s WNBA quest for a dynasty in women’s sports and the arena’s rising rep as a top concert hall. The groundwork is indeed there.

Disclosure of the overall plan is at least months away with this being New York, it will take a while to get approved and built. but with the backing of two billionaire families and the ambition, there will be a lot for the two online publications to write about.

• Billionaire Brooklyn Nets Owners Launch Media Company, Type.Set.Brooklyn - Mark Stenberg - AdWeek

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/14...ith-new-publisher-another-part-of-destination

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

VIDEO: Takeaways from the New York Liberty’s two preseason games

Photo by Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images

Mainly focused on the offensive changes for the New York Liberty, here is a video explaining everything you need to know following a pair of preseason games for the defending WNBA champions.

The New York Liberty ended their preseason with a victory lap of sorts.

Following a lackluster loss to the Connecticut Sun, they played the Toyota Antelopes of the Woman’s Japan Basketball League. They did so in Eugene, Oregon, the alma mater of Nyara Sabally and the greatest player UO basketball history, Sabrina Ionescu.

After a storied career with every accolade but a National Championship falling under her belt, she described the experience as “closure,” given that she hadn’t gotten to say a proper goodbye to the Duck fanbase with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the end of her final season.

Though she couldn’t play in one final March Madness, she does now have a day named after her in the town of Eugene...

Eugene, OR will now recognize May 12th as Sabrina Ionescu Day pic.twitter.com/6uWlKw7Cwn

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 12, 2025​

As for the Liberty, they won the contest against the ‘Lopes, 84-61, though the Japanese team could not miss from deep in the first half, taking advantage of more porous seafoam defense, and kept the game close.

Still, the main takeaways from the below video are from the Liberty’s offense, which hasn’t been overhauled this training camp. but at the least, significantly changed. Here is everything I took away from the New York Liberty’s two preseason games, as they get ready to make a title defense. Enjoy...

VIDEO: Takeaways from the New York Liberty's two preseason games, mostly focused on the implementation of the 5-out offense we've heard much about from training camp.

Plus,
- the defense
- Rebekah Gardner
- Tash/Sabrina backcourt pic.twitter.com/IpT9Ql1OZa

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 14, 2025​

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/14...-libertys-two-preseason-games-sabrina-ionescu

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Slater: Brooklyn Nets have talked to four top prospects, led by Jeremiah Fears

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

The NBA Draft Combine runs through Sunday, and things are starting to sort out for both prospects and teams.

The luck portion of the Brooklyn Nets season of our times is largely over. The Nets fell to No. 8 position in the Lottery. Bad luck. Now, though, it’s mostly skill as Sean Marks & co. try to sort out the best prospects at the NBA Combine in Chicago.

Days after the lottery, the executives who sat waiting for the draft order are still in Chi-Town, watching 78 prospects work out at WInTrust Arena and putting them through mental paces and scheduling private visits to the home courts.

There’s no master list of where individual prospects are headed nor when. It’s up them and their reps to reveal that detail to reporters. So far, according to Erik Slater of Clutch Points, four prospects, all likely first round picks, have said they’ve met privately with Brooklyn: Jeremiah Fears, the 6’4” Oklahoma point guard; Kon Knueppel, the 6’7” Duke wing; Carter Bryant, the 6’8” Arizona wing; and Egor Demin, the 6’10” BYU point. All are scheduled for visits to HSS Training Center between now and the first night of the NBA in Brooklyn on June 25.

So far, the player who’s caught the most interest, is the 18-year-old Fears.

“The conversations were great,” Fears told Slater, the only Brooklyn beat writer in Chicago Wednesday. “They were just telling me how I could fit within their system and be an overall good piece for them… [Playing in New York City] is not a bad idea. I actually like New York a little bit.”

Jeremiah Fears said he had a “great” meeting and workout with the Nets:

“The conversations were great. They were just telling me how I could fit within their system and be an overall good piece for them.” pic.twitter.com/VWKjL6BaYA

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) May 14, 2025

Indeed, a league source tells NetsDaily, that Brooklyn’s interest in Fears is real.

“You should spend a lot of time studying Jeremiah Fears,” he said unsolicited. “I think you will like him.”

Of the four players the Nets have spoken with, Fears is the one most likely to be gone by No. 8, which the source conceded. However, the source said, that doesn’t mean he’s out of the Nets range.

“They will need to navigate him to 8 or use some of those picks to move up,” he noted. The Nets of course have five picks in this year’s draft. In addition to No. 8, they have Nos. 19, 26, 27 and 36, all but the last one a first rounder. They also lead the league in most tradeable picks with 13 first rounders and 16 second rounders through 2031.

On the other hand, Knueppel, Demin and Bryant are all more likely to be on the board at No. 8.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Nets are looking closely at Fears or Demin. It’s not a stretch to say Brooklyn most needs a point. Marks is famous for saying that the team will prioritize “best player available” when it picks but having multiple points available is a bonus.

There was also a flutter of fan excitement Thursday afternoon when Ron Harper, father of presumed No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, and a five-time NBA champion himself, engaged with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson and Nets fans on x.com (aka Twitter) suggesting that the Nets could make a play for the Rutgers guard...

Nets Fans RN: So you’re saying there’s a chance? https://t.co/7tVzXhWPCP pic.twitter.com/os5FlgxVmZ

— Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) May 15, 2025​

That dream is dead and gone, Spurs aren’t trading all the way back to 8 at any cost.

— The Joesen One (@Joe_Martin13) May 15, 2025​

Always a chance with trades and picks and the Knicks gave you a lot of both.

— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) May 15, 2025​

Of course the Spurs would have to want to deal Harper, not something anyone in San Antonio is yet suggesting. However, there has been a lot of suggestions in Chicago that the final order of the 2025 Draft may not be settled yet. One big reason is that a number of prospects not previously seen a first rounders are now seen as top 30.

• Brooklyn Nets’ 4 best options at No. 8 pick in 2025 NBA Draft - Erik Slater - Clutch Points
• Nets being linked to young guard Jeremiah Fears — who modeled game after Kyrie Irving — in NBA Draft - Brian Lewis - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/15...d-to-four-top-prospects-led-by-jeremiah-fears

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

What will Natasha Cloud bring to the 2025 New York Liberty?

Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images

After trading two first-round picks for her, the New York Liberty are going to lean on Natasha Cloud in 2025. What is that going to look like?

In Game 1 of the Phoenix Mercury’s unsurprising defeat to the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs, the Mercury did shock the world by coming back from a 23-point first-half deficit.

The Lynx would ultimately take care of business, but not before the Mercury, led by Natasha Cloud, put a hell of a scare into them.

Her best play of the night, though, did not lead to any of her career-high-tying 33 points. (Liberty fans will remember the first time she scored 33.)

Rather, Cloud switched off of Napheesa Collier and onto Courtney Williams, contained a drive and stripped her, then pushed the ball the other way before diming Natasha Mack up on the inside. Sadly, an easy layup slipped through Mack’s hands and out of bounds...

This is exactly the Natasha Cloud the New York Liberty, having traded two first-round picks for her in the offseason, are hoping to see in 2025.

Unlike the 2024 Phoenix Mercury, New York likely won’t ask her to match up with Napheesa Collier when they play the Lynx. But Cloud, at 5’10”, started most possessions last postseason on the MVP-level forward, though would switch onto Minnesota’s guards in most screening actions.

Cloud has made an All-Defensive team three times in her WNBA career, and it’s easy to see why. She can slither through screens and will poke at active dribbles, making her an obvious nightmare for opposing guards but a potential irritant even for forwards like Collier.

In Game 2 of the Liberty’s battle with the Washington Mystics in 2023, Cloud took Sabrina Ionescu out of the game. Not only did she score just 11 points on 11 shots, but Head Coach Sandy Brondello admitted, “In the end, it was, ‘Don’t even come near the ball, you’re a decoy right now.’”

Cloud recently turned 33 years old, and likely can’t give the Liberty 44 games of full-throttle ball-pressure. But, on a team where her offensive burden will be lighter, there should be long stretches where she can put an opposing guard in jail.

This should give Brondello some defensive optionality. While the Liberty will still switch plenty of actions, as they did in 2024, Cloud is a true point-of-attack defender, more so than Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, out for the season. Laney-Hamilton, and the retuning Leonie Fiebich, are excellent defenders, but because of their size, fairly screenable. Cloud is not, and on the right day, can slide her feet with any WNBA guard.

Offensively, she is at her best pushing in transition, as in the above clip. The Pennsylvania native has serious north-to-south speed, and New York certainly hopes she can use it to free up her new backcourt partner for some easy looks...

excited to see more of this in the regular season, Tash getting Sabrina a C&S three off a drive: pic.twitter.com/HnlFVbKke9

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 16, 2025​

Though Sabrina Ionescu excelled as a primary ball-handler last year, allowing Fiebich to take Courtney Vandersloot’s place in the starting lineup, she saw fewer open catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts than she did when playing next to Vandersloot in 2023.

Cloud played last season next to the prolific Diana Tarausi, and there should be some carry-over for her this season, playing next to another great shooter: “What I loved about playing with DT, and Sab, was that I get to take a little bit of weight off of their shoulders by being able to get into the paint, engaging two [defenders], and then finding them as they’re moving and creating easy shots for them.”

Will she actually be able to draw two defenders is the question? Assuming there’s no great drop-off in burst — always a worry for a 33-year-old guard — the answer should be yes. Even though playoff defenses will likely go under her ball-screens, this is nothing new for Cloud, and she’s found ways in the past to get to the rack anyway...

Cloud has hovered in the low-30s as a 3-point shooter for much of her career, though anecdotally, it feels better than that. She hit five 3-pointers, including a few off the dribble, against New York in that huge Game 2 in 2023. By the end of the night, defenders were flying at her pump-fakes, and allowing her to get all the way to the rim or to the mid-range area, where she’s more comfortable.

In a 5-out offense, Cloud is not a liability shooting threes, but she certainly projects to be the starting lineup’s weakest shooter, no great disgrace next to Ionescu, Fiebich, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones.

Natasha Cloud is no stranger to playing on loaded offensive teams, though. She starred for the 2019 Washington Mystics, WNBA champion and one of the elite offensive teams in the history of the league, posting paltry 39/32/68 splits.

Yet, those Mystics led the league in 3-point attempts and makes, using the threat of the long-ball to lead the league in 2-point percentage while Cloud operated as the lead ball-handler for 32 minutes a night.

On the 2025 New York Liberty, she should be halfway between 2023 Courtney Vandersloot and 2024 Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Is this a simplistic way of looking at basketball? Definitely.

However, she should bring a mix of switchable defense as well as true point-of-attack tenacity. Cloud isn’t the shooter Laney-Hamilton is, but unlike the veteran Vandersloot, she should be able to draw consistent closeouts and make enough open looks to keep the machine chugging.

And while she isn’t the table-setter Vandersloot was in 2023, she will be able to lighten the load on Sabrina Ionescu, re-instituting assisted looks into the All-Star’s shot diet. In the same vein, Cloud should also make a nice backcourt partner for Marine Johannès.

The New York Liberty have a different path to the championship in 2025. Besides a significantly changed offense, two of their defensive-minded wings are gone, Laney-Hamilton to injury and Kayla Thornton to the expansion draft. Leonie Fiebich is in the starting lineup from the jump now, and is one of three rotation regulars departing for EuroBasket in June.

Perhaps the biggest change is Natasha Cloud, though. She was the star acquisition of the New York Liberty offseason, a booming personality and accomplished pro that cannot just come along for the ride in 2025, but must close playoff games for them, handle the ball in crunch-time, and defend the opponent’s best perimeter player.

It’ll be different in 2025. But if Natasha Cloud is up to the task, that’s not a bad thing.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/16...asha-cloud-bring-to-the-2025-new-york-liberty

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, 7:00 PM ET on ESPN

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The moment we’ve all been waiting for...

The time has come. The moment that we’ve all been waiting for — some of us for 15 years, the last time the Nets had its own lottery pick. That ping pong call configuration landed them No. 3 (Derrick Favors), who was later flipped in a trade that landed them Deron Williams. We know how that ended.

As Giannis rumors heat up, it’s worth pondering what the implications will be the closer we get to June 25 and the Draft and beyond. Could it impact the organization for several years? For now, we can only hope the Basketball Gods relieve the Nets of their past sins.

Brooklyn has a 9% chance at the No. 1 overall pick as well as a 37.2% chance at a top-4 pick. In the history of the lottery, only 10 teams have won it all with worse odds.

Other headlines to watch is where the Phoenix (Houston) pick falls. Brooklyn traded that pick for its own (and next year’s.) Both are in the lottery. Updates to follow.

Update: Lucas here. That sucked. You knew it was going downhill when the Spurs and Mavericks jumped in the order, leaving Brooklyn in a head-to-head stare down with the eighth overall pick.

Jordi Fernández’s Nets could not sidestep that fate, landing at #8. To add just a bit of insult to injury, the Philadelphia 76ers, who overtook Brooklyn in the race to the bottom at the end of March, jumped to #3. Ouch.

More to come.

PING PONG, BING BONG​

WHAT: NBA Draft Lottery

WHEN: Coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. ET.

WHERE: ESPN | Knicks-Celtics Game 3 follows

WHO: Jordi Fernandez will be on the dias and Makar Gevorkian, the Nets capologist, will be in the back room where it happens.

***

We’ll be updating the site with news pieces as they come here.

Pooch and Collin will be going live after the pick is drawn here.

Giannis rumors can be taken only so serious here.

HAPPY LOTTERY DAY!​

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/12...the-2025-nba-draft-lottery-7-00-pm-et-on-espn

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Speculation abounds but how realistic is it ... at least at this point?

The Nets mantra this off-season is using all those picks and all that cap space in an opportunistic way. So speculation abounds, but how much is realistic.

The NBA Draft is still six weeks away but the rumor mill is grinding. The way things usually work is that the big moves don’t take place till just before or even during the Draft which for the second year will be two days, one round per night.

The Nets, of course, fell in Monday’s Draft Lottery from sixth to eighth, giving them the eighth, 19th, 26th, 27th and 36th picks, but might they more. not so much in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality? After being listed as the Tankathon leader in draft power rankings most of the season, they dropped to No. 2 after the lottery, falling behind the Spurs who moved up to No. 2 and now have the second, 14th and 38th picks.

So, the speculation now is that Brooklyn could be interested in moving up, using the oft-rumored asset, Cam Johnson, to possibly get the third pick which the 76ers reportedly are willing to move for the right package, wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic this week.

“Would Brooklyn look at a deal in the ballpark of Cam Johnson, No. 19 and No. 27 for Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and No. 3? Such a deal would allow the Nets to potentially get the upside swing at No. 3, keep No. 8 and still have another late first-round pick to accumulate talent.

“For the Sixers, they’d get a player who helps them a lot the next two years in Johnson, then they would get two later firsts this year to be able to potentially get a wing.”

The Nets of course would have to take on the contracts of Oubre ($8.4 million expiring) and Drummond ($5 million expiring) while the 76ers would add CamJ’s two year, $43.0 million deal which can be extended another three years and $102 million as of July 6.

Vecenie gets into the weeds on the speculation adding Eric Gordon ($3.3 million) and noting the disparity in rookie deals but his bottom line for the 76ers is this: “the deal would keep the Sixers about $22 million away from the second apron, allowing them to re-sign Grimes and still potentially have enough space to try to use the taxpayer midlevel exception to keep Guerschon Yabusele.”

Again, it’s just a reporter’s speculation not even a rumor per se, but it would give Sean Marks & co. an opportunity take players like Ace Bailey, V.J. Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, and even Kon Knueppel and Jeremiah Fears, all of which could be off the board by No. 8.

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Marks took on another team’s contracts to improve the Nets draft standing, aka the salary dump. He did that a couple of times during his first rebuild. In 2017, he traded Justin Hamilton, a journeyman forward, to Toronto for DeMarre Carroll’s contract, two years and $30 million, plus a protected first rounder and a second in 2018.

Then a year later, they sent Isaiah Whitehead to Denver for Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, a protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second round draft pick. None of the picks worked out, for a variety of reasons, including the need to find cap space for the 2019 Clean Sweep, but the model could be used again, as Sam Quinn noted.

I think the general theme of this Nets offseason will be "how many draft picks can we extort from financially desperate teams?"

I think the answer should be "a lot." They're the only major cap dumping ground in town and so many teams are so screwed by the new CBA. https://t.co/kpm4JcV9sR

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) May 15, 2025​

The other mechanism Marks used in that first rebuild — tendering offer sheets to players on teams with tight budgets — didn’t work that well either. In each case — Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe, Donatas Motiejunas and Otto Porter Jr — their teams matched the Nets offer sheet, but Brooklyn had an ulterior motive particularly with the first two: The front office wanted to prove they had the cash and willingness to spend. Budgets are tighter now around the league and teams might not want to match, thanks to the new CBA. So, there’s speculation but no confirmation, at all, that the Nets might be interested in Jonathan Kuminga and/or Santi Aldama. There’s also sign and trade options. Again, speculation.

Marks has said he wants to be opportunistic in making moves. Part of being opportunistic is waiting to see how things work and that likely means wait-and-see right up to Draft Night.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/17...ut-how-realistic-is-it-at-least-at-this-point

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

New York Liberty defeat Las Vegas Aces, 92-78, on ring night

Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images

The New York Liberty got their 2024 WNBA Championship rings, then went out and beat their biggest rival, led by their biggest offseason acquisition.

Barclays Center did not need much coaxing to get loud on Saturday afternoon.

If a season opener against the dreaded Las Vegas Aces wasn’t enough (it was), the New York Liberty commemorated their 2024 championship before the game, raising the banner and handing out rings.

The ceremony took all of 20 minutes, starting with a video presentation narrated by franchise legend Sue Wicks and ending with Sabrina Ionescu addressing the crowd directly: “We’re so thankful, thank you for being a part of this journey with us. But we gotta run it back.”

And with that, the Liberty closed the door on their championship season, turning their full focus to a repeat for which they’re well-equipped. It won’t be easy, not with the departure of Kayla Thornton and absence of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, but they had their full complement of players on Saturday.

Leonie Fiebich, just having flown back from winning a Spanish League title, started after a game-time decision (jet lag) went her way. Though she scored just two points, her length and activity on LV’s stable of ball-handlers was huge.

For all the talk about New York’s new, 5-out style offense in training camp, it looked pretty damn good to start the season — and not much different than last year. The team couldn’t buy an outside shot, finishing just __% from three, but scored a million (56) points in the paint with 21 free-throw attempts, taking advantage of their size and pace...

Liberty push, Jonquel Jones gets a cross-match, and well, that's the possession: pic.twitter.com/lic1wLm2lB

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 17, 2025​

New York’s other big advantage over the Las Vegas Aces showed up in the first half too: their depth. Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke came off the bench to play bully ball inside and hit a couple threes, respectively, to separate the Liberty in a 28-13 second quarter.

First impressions were flying. The Liberty seemed unbeatable and the Aces a cooked product. No Ace besides the incomparable A’ja Wilson, she of the 31-and-16 double-double, could do anything on offense, as the team started 3-of-14 from deep.

Then they made five of their next six long-balls, with Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray heating up, and the sky was no longer falling. The Aces cut it to five midway through the third quarter, where it would remain until the start of the fourth quarter. A night of celebration was getting sweaty.

Natasha Cloud, newcomer, saved the day, and threw any worries about a new starting lineup out the window. She started 1-of-5 with a turnover, but was living in the paint, and that turned out to be the strongest indicator of success.

After the Aces cut it to a single possession, Cloud scored back-to-back and-1s, blowing the roof off of Barclays Center...

OH MY NATASHA CLOUD

Not one, but TWO back-to-back AND-1s to keep the @nyliberty ahead in the 4th!

WNBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax pic.twitter.com/7rv8RUnhax

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2025​

Said Cloud: “I came into the next huddle, and Stewie was like, ‘how do you like this crowd?’ I was like ‘I thought they had called a charge the way everybody started screaming.’”

After the screaming, the crowd gave Cloud a standing ovation, who did not just put up a 22/6/9/3/2 stat-line that only three other players have ever matched. She also spent half the game earning bumps and bruises diving on the floor, or meeting A’ja Wilson with an elbow whenever Wilson cut through the lane. Cloud was a fan-favorite among the seafoam faithful even before she played here, and that is unlikely to change now.

“I think the similarities of Philly [her hometown] and New York, is we really just appreciate players that come in, play hard, and they give them everything they got every single night. And we’re gritty, we get it out the mud. That’s just what it is, and I think that’s how I play,” said Cloud.

She may have been the game’s star, but only because the Liberty are used to one of the greatest front-courts of all time. Breanna Stewart put up the quietest 25/8/3 line imaginable, shooting a hyper-efficient 10-of-14 from the floor, while Jonquel Jones was only elevated by the new offense, not hidden, posting 17/10/6 while frequently matched up with Wilson...

THAT'S TUFF @jus242 pic.twitter.com/ifZEmE5lUA

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 17, 2025​

Despite a poor Sabrina Ionescu game, the Aces either didn’t have enough firepower to close the gap or the right usage of it. Their offense, in contrast with the Liberty, was stagnant for much of the second half, with Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd combining to shoot 11-of-forty-freaking-two from the field. They missed some open ones, but shot very few of them.

Jonquel Jones put the exclamation point on the win, stuffing Wilson in isolation. Not even a three-time MVP could single-handedly take down the Liberty on ring night...

NOT IN ’s HOUSE ‍

Welcome to the blck party hosted by @jus242 pic.twitter.com/CMNUkAeiKx

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 17, 2025​

“It was great. You know, there’s some imperfect situations, but that’s part of it .. I thought we played a really good game, and it’s something that we’ll continue to build on over these next weeks.” — Sandy Brondello

Final Score: New York Liberty 92, Las Vegas Aces 78

Ring Night​

The New York Liberty didn’t overdo ring night. Frankly, they didn’t have to. The crowd erupted at every turn of the 15-minute reception, from Sue Wicks’ narration on the introduction video to each member of the coaching staff and roster called out to receive their ring.

It was nice to see Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s smiling face come out and accept her ring, weeks after undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery...

Our girl got her ring pic.twitter.com/GcYaWmsQ17

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 17, 2025​

Ivana Dojkić, a currently unsigned member of the 2024 Liberty, was also in attendance to receiver her ring.

Natasha Cloud called the banner, now hanging high above the Barclays Center floor, “a standard.”

“I understood that, with coming here to New York, and I want to be a part of that standard. It’s really hard to win a championship, and every piece is so important to that success. So I just want to be a part of it.”

There is the championship banner, in all of its splendor. #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/VDZ2BUsQNd

— Alford Corriette (@alfcorriette) May 17, 2025​

As for the rings, the operative word was “big.”

“My reaction was, ‘Wow, it’s so big. It was like, ‘it’s so big and so shiny,’” said Breanna Stewart.

She’s not lying, as the Liberty unveiled them to the public during the ceremony itself. The rings are equipped with white diamonds and special features meant to commemorate Brooklyn itself...

A look at the @nyliberty 2024 championship rings pic.twitter.com/spn5nU49Wk

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 17, 2025​

The full ceremony can be viewed below...

Next Up​

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

The New York Liberty, after quite a few off days, travel to Chicago to see an old friend. They’ll be taking on Courtney Vandersloot, Angel Reese, and the rest of the Sky on Thursday night, May 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: New York Liberty 92, Las Vegas Aces 78 - WNBA
• The Brooklyn Twins Behind The New York Liberty’s Championship Rings - Juliana Ukiomogbe - BKMAG

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/17/24432172/liberty-vs-aces-92-78-aja-wilson-natasha-cloud

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

NetsDaily Off-Season Report: No. 5

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Every weekend, we’ll be updating the Nets’ off-season with bits and pieces of information, gossip, etc. to help fans get ready for ... whatever.

Quite the week. The Brooklyn Nets dropped two slots in the Draft Lottery, from sixth to eighth, no doubt shifting the team’s off-season thinking while reinvigorating the fan debate over how much tanking should the Nets have done.

Of course, the lottery isn’t the draft nor the rebuild. It’s ALL the picks and their development plus ALL that cap space that matters now, the end of Season One of a multi-year rebuild. it’s possible they could make a short-term move up, which is rare because it is difficult, so that seems unlikely.

You have to hope that the skills of the scouting staff which has had a good record with low picks, plus the sheer quantify of picks — at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36 — lessen the significance of the drop. As we said this week, the lottery is the last piece of the off-season determined mostly by luck. Now, it’s about skill.

In the Draft, things appear stable with the top two picks foreordained with Duke’s Cooper Flagg headed to Dallas and Rutgers Dylan Harper likely to land in San Antonio. There’s a little bit of debate at No. 3 ... whether the 76ers keep it or not. Will it be Ace Bailey, Harper’s Scarlet Knight teammate, or V.J. Edgecombe, the athletic freak from Baylor. Some mocks think Nets fan favorites — Khaman Maluach and Jeremiah Fears — could slip into the next group along with Tre Johnson of Texas, Kon Knueppel of Texas and Derik Queen of Maryland. That gets you to No. 9.

Assuming the draft goes according to draftniks’ projections, the Nets could be left with a choice among Kasparas Jakucionis, the Illinois point guard, Noa Essengeue, the young French big, Asa Newell, the equally sized Georgia PF, Michigan State shooter Jase Richardson or if you dig really deep, BYU’s Russian point guard Egor Demin.

Ultimately, it is a mid-lottery selection in a generational draft which is generally a good thing.

#GreekSeek​

On the free agency front, we are left with another suggestive hint from Giannis Antetokounmpo...

New York https://t.co/uJQRe2ID7O

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) May 18, 2025​

The comment by Giannis should not be surprising. I mean, it is NEW YORK CITY! Also, as Brian Lewis has written, The Greek Freak has investment in the city and works with Greek businessmen located here as well.

Also, we will probably see more rumors this week with various reports that Antetokounmpo is meeting with Bucks officials this week to discuss his future. The general consensus is that if the 30-year-old wants out of Milwaukee and has a list of preferred destination(s), the Bucks will, out of loyalty and good will, try their best to move him no matter how unlikely if would seem now.

But a tweeted hint like Sunday morning’s shouldn’t been anything definitive and of course there are two teams in New York, one of which is having its best season in 25 years.

Indeed, we are reminded of a 2008 pre-Olympics event at Rockefeller Center where Team USA was introduced and shot around a makeshift court inside the skating rink. LeBron James was asked to name his favorite city. When he said, “New York,” the follow-up question was, which borough? “Brooklyn,” he responded with a smile. The Nets at that point were still four years away from stepping foot in Barclays Center. It was very encouraging at the time.

How’d it work out?

Draft Sleeper of the Week​

Of far in this segment, we’ve profiled Noa Essengue, Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson and Cooper Flagg (in a moment of unrequited love.)

This week, we’ll take a look at someone who’s been mocked between the Nets two top picks at Nos. 8 and 19: BYU’s Russian point guard Egor Demin. Demin had a good week at the NBA Combine, his measurements better than expected. The 19-year-old from Moscow grew a bit in the last year, coming in at close to 6’10” and 200 pounds. More importantly, he answered questions about his shooting prowess.

Big audience of NBA executives courtside in Chicago to watch Egor Demin's pro day. 6'9 Russian guard showed his talent in a major way with scorching shooting and impressive confidence. pic.twitter.com/NBc1X7iHus

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2025​

Givony has also said that he thinks Demin with a bit more weight could fill the role of a point forward down the line.

Matt Babcock of Yahoo! Sports had this to say about what he proved this past week at the Combine and an agent’s day workout where the player’s agent invites interested scouts and executive to watch him.

Scouts always loved his passing. What they questioned was his shot. That question is being answered — loudly — in front of executives from every NBA team. He’s knocking down shots consistently. You pair that with his vision and frame? That’s a starting NBA point guard.

There remain questions about his defense and foot speed but his passing and vision are, as has seen in these highlights, top level.

One other note. Demin has been mentored by Andrei Kirilenko, the former Net who is said to be a big fan. AK-47 like Demin is a product of the Russian basketball system. And like Demin, Kirilenko has a lot of love for Utah.

Coaching news​

The Nets like any team sees change every year in the assistant coaching ranks. It’s near certain. Brooklyn didn’t win a lot of games this season, but Jordi Fernandez did get his kudos for taking a marginal roster and getting the most out of it. So it’s not surprising that his staff will get looks when head coaching jobs open up.

That’s what happening with Steve Hetzel, Fernandez’s No. 2 and a veteran NBA assistant Steve Hetzel. Per Marc Stein of The Steinline, Hetzel is on the short list for the Phoenix Suns who has gone through three head coaches since Mat Ishbia took over in 2023.

Among the candidates believed to have progressed in consideration for the post include one assistant coach still working in these playoffs (Minnesota’s Micah Nori), several assistants from eliminated teams (Brooklyn’s Steve Hetzel, Cleveland’s Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, Dallas’ Sean Sweeney and New Orleans’ James Borrego) and one holdover from Budenholzer’s staff (two-time former NBA head coach David Fizdale) who could well be asked to stay on as part of a new coach’s bench.

Okay, not that short, but as Stein notes, Hetzel among those who “have progressed in consideration.” Hetzel has had stints in the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers organizations, where he was an assistant coach on the staff for the three seasons (2021-24). before joining Brooklyn.

Both Hetzel and Ishbia are graduates of Michigan State and acolytes of it’s legendary basketball coach Tim Izzo, Hetzel as a student manager. Ishbia as a bench player for the 2000 national champs.

Meanwhile, Eurohoops interviewed Kyle Hines, the New Jersey-born European superstar who joined Brooklyn this season as a development coach. He won two EuroLeague championships (2012 and 2013) with Olympiacos of Greece, then another two with CSKA Moscow (2016 and 2019). Hines also won the EuroLeague Best Defender award three times, in 2016, 2018 and 2022 and he was named to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.

“It was an amazing experience,” Hines of Sicklerville, N.J. told Antonis Stroggylakis, recalling his first year in a coaching capacity after 17 years as a player. “First of all going to a great organization filled with a lot of amazing people. I couldn’t think of a better place.”

Hines said the experience was heightened because of Jordi Fernandez’s European background. It was Fernandez who hired Hines after he retired at the end of the 2023-24 season.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity to work with (Fernandez) every single day,” said Hines. “I learned so much from him. I think me and him have had the commonality of European basketball. both being part of European basketball, the love of European basketball, the love of basketball in general. So being able to watch games with him, Euroleague basketball, Eurocup basketball, talk about his experiences, he journey as a coach, definitely a great experience for me. He’s a very special and unique coach.”

Final Note​

These are trying times for Brooklyn Nets fans and the loss of two slots in the Lottery when most fans expected (!) them to come away with a top four pick. It’s also unlikely to get better soon. Next season looks like it could be an even deeper tank, no matter how you describe it. Of course, there is also no guarantee, whatsoever, that things will work in the year after that or the year after that. The Nets seem to have gathered all the tools necessary to unlock the puzzle, sure, but as we learned once before, things can go wrong for reasons no one predicted.

So, all that said, to help you through the summer, we offer the full New York Liberty ceremony celebrating their WNBA championship.

We heard y'all wanted the full ceremony? WE GOT YOU pic.twitter.com/PariqTVT6m

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 17, 2025​

Enjoy and think how cool it would be if the rings and banners would be in black-and-white instead of seafoam-and-black.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/18/24432592/netsdaily-off-season-report-no-5

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

BANNER DAY: NY Liberty begin 2025 hoping to create more history

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

It's a special day for the New York Liberty as they begin the 2025 season and receive their 2024 Championship rings!

The world is different when you’re a champion. You feel more sure of yourself, the pressure of winning the big one is gone, and you’ve created memories that will last a lifetime. When the New York Liberty broke the NYC championship drought last October, they completed a journey that was 28 years in the making. The big question after you finish the story is what’s next? For the Liberty, it was about working to stay one step of the competition.

“I was adamant that we had to change it up a little bit to bring that freshness,” Sandy Brondello said on practice on April 28. “Repeating is really hard, so it’s not just about repeating. It’s about evolving. That’s my key word, how do we evolve? How do we evolve our style of play to complement the players that we have? And I think the game continues to evolve so this is something that we constantly do. Review, reflect, and reset every year, but how do we keep getting better? Don’t be satisfied with what we have done.”

They lost Kayla Thornton to the Expansion Draft, Courtney Vandersloot to free agency, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to injury, but they picked up Natasha Cloud in a trade with the Connecticut Sun. Tash gives the Liberty more downhill juice and A+ defense across multiple positions. The return of Marine Johannès means the coolest basketball player on Earth is back in Brooklyn. The bench will also be fortified by the presence of the returning from injury Rebekah Gardner, the solid Kennedy Burke, and Isabelle Harrison providing backup minutes in the frontcourt. The additions will shore up a Liberty team that led the WNBA in various categories in 2024. With the season at a record high 44 games, Sandy Brondello will have to make sure everyone gets playing time and doesn’t get overworked.

The Liberty organization has continued to grow, and today will be a celebration of all the work they’ve done and the beginning of their next adventure.

Joining the Barclays Center is a team that’s looking to bounce back after a frustrating and disappointing 2024. The Las Vegas Aces sought immortality and a three-peat, but the New York Liberty had other plans and took them out in the semifinals. Vegas is back with some new faces and plenty to prove.

Where to follow the game​

ABC is the place to be. Tip is at 1 PM. However, fans will be able to enter the Barclays Center starting at 11:00 a.m. ET so they can get situated for the championship ceremony which begins at 12:30. ABC will carry the entire ring and banner raising ceremony, a first in the WNBA.

Injuries​

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is out for the season with a knee injury. Leonie Fiebich just got back from playing with Valencia in Spain a few days ago. She’s listed as questionable for this game.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is on maternity leave. Megan Gustasfon is out with a leg injury. Crystal Bradford is back in the WNBA for the first time in four years, but she’ll be serving a one game suspension. Why, you ask? Tenders and Bites!

The game​

The Aces are looking pretty different from when we last saw them. Kelsey Plum is now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks and Jewell Loyd is here after forcing her way out of the Seattle Storm. Loyd had a tumultuous year on and off the court as everything went wrong in Seattle. She’s in a new city and will have a chance to slide down the org chart and return to her former role as the second/third option. Something we’ll be keeping an eye on is how many shots the Aces get inside the restricted area. They’ve been last in the league in shots inside the restricted area for the past two seasons. And now that their best driver is in Los Angeles, Becky Hammon will have to scheme up ways to create those opportunities.

Speaking of Hammon, today will be... something for her. She was a Liberty legend and got her start in the WNBA here. Of course, her story didn’t end there and she’s now the coach of New York’s biggest rival. She was asked about it on Friday

Becky Hammon, who played the first 8 yrs of her WNBA career in NY, said she'll have "mixed emotions" for the Liberty's ring day.

"They gave me my first chance. So I keep my personal opinions out of it. We’re about winning the game."

— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) May 16, 2025​

Take in the moment, but when the bell rings, it’s back to business.

If the Aces want to get back to the championship, they’re going to need a lot more from Jackie Young. Young dealt with an injury from the Olympics and it slowed her down to the point where she had the worst postseason of her career. Young is the key to their season and if she doesn’t play to the level we’re used to, things will be a lot tougher on the Aces.

Having Natasha Cloud will move Sabrina Ionescu off the ball and allow her to tap into more of her scoring arsenal. With Cloud, Ionescu won’t have to do initiate offense as much as she did last season, which allows her to play more off the ball and create space for her teammates. Cloud gives the Liberty more rim pressure and that in turn will open much catch and shoot opportunities for Sab and the rest of the team.

Breanna Stewart being healthy will be the key to the Liberty season. Stewie is an all time great, and in this matchup specifically, her off-ball defense takes on even more importance. Last year, the Liberty had her roaming on defense and playing off of Kiah Stokes and any other non Aces star. If Vegas wants to solve the Liberty puzzle, it will start with figuring out how to limit Stewart’s effectiveness on that side of the ball.

Player to watch: A’ja Wilson​

A’One, Unanimous, Legend. Wilson is the gold standard in women’s basketball and someone that gets better every year. Wilson can do everything possible on a basketball court and as one of the faces of the league, someone that represents every time she shows up. Wilson didn’t dominate against the Liberty last season as NY’s unique combination of size, length, and athleticism bothered her just enough in their matchups. With a healthy Chelsea Gray and Loyd now on the team, A’ja shouldn’t have to carry a tremendous workload this year. If she has to have a repeat of 2024, it means that things aren’t going according to plan in Las Vegas.

The M’VP will have to do battle with the reigning Finals MVP. Jonquel Jones was sensational throughout 2024 and saved the day when New York needed it most. The offense is a bit different this year, but Jones is always able to get to her spots and make something happen. With the Liberty operating in more space, we will get to see even more of JJ’s arsenal. Jones set a career high in assist rate in 2024, and we should be seeing more of her passing on display this season

Of course, if all else fails, the Liberty can give Jonquel the ball in the post and let her cook. She’s one of the few players that can contend with Wilson on the inside and this matchup will be the headliner on what should be a special day for basketball fans here in New York.

From the Vault​

It's Ring Day, and we'll let our friends at Liberty Unlocked take it from here

More reading: Las Vegas Review-Journal, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, No Cap Space, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, and The Next

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/17...er-ceremony-breanna-stewart-jonquel-jones-aja

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

SIGHTS & SOUNDS: the New York Liberty’s stylish celebration of their 2024 title

Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images

The New York Liberty officially closed the book on 2024 with one more celebration at Barclays Center.

May 17 will go down as one of the best days in the 38-year history of New York Liberty. It was the start of the 2025 season ... and an opportunity for everyone to officially close the chapter on their magical 2024 championship run.

Brandon Todd/NY Liberty
May 17, 2025: The New York Liberty celebrate their 2024 WNBA championship.

As our Shara Taylor noted in her video chronicle of the day — and a look forward at the season, the joy was infections from owners to fans.

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

In front of 17,344 fans at Barclays Center, the team officially rose the championship banner and handed out some gorgeous rings.

The proceedings began with a video narrated by Liberty Ring of Honor member Sue Wicks

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by New York Liberty (@nyliberty)​

From there, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert gave brief remarks before team owners Clara Wu and Joe Tsai came out to hand out the championship rings to the players. Liberty fans got a special treat as Ivana Dojkic and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton joined the ceremony with their teammates. Dojkic is currently playing in Italy and Laney-Hamilton is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton of the New York Liberty.

The crowd maintained the energy throughout and showered every player and coach with love and appreciation for all of their hard work and dedication.

Afterwards, they got down to the business of 2025 with a convincing win against the Las Vegas Aces. As defending champions, the Liberty know and expect that every team will give them their best shot every single night. And with the banner hanging above them every day, the team has a new goal to aim for.

‘It creates a standard for anybody that comes into Barclays,” Breanna Stewart said in postgame. “Whether it’s us playing, or the [Brooklyn] Nets, or whoever. Championship mindset and mentality for everybody amongst this franchise. It’s a special thing.”

Since the Liberty moved back to New York City in 2021, the team has consistently gotten better. They’ve made the playoffs every season and fan interest has grown exponentially along the way. As they’ve grown, they’ve pushed the WNBA to be better on and off the court, to amazing results. The WNBA has continued to take steps forward and with It starts with the play on the court. Everyone’s pushing in the same direction and hoping to lift everyone up as they climb new heights. It starts with the championship mindset Stewart discussed and when your superstar sets that tone, everyone else follows. As the Liberty start their title defense, that energy and focus will help them stay on task.

After the win on Saturday, the Liberty had one more bit of celebrating to do. This time, they took a group trip to the Subway Series.

Taking the mound​

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The celebration continued as the champs took a trip up to Yankee Stadium. It was Liberty night at the Stadium and Breanna Stewart threw out the first pitch before the Yankees took on the Mets.

Breanna Stewart of the @WNBA champion @NYLiberty threw out the first pitch before the Subway Series finale

— MLB (Bot) (@mlbbot.bsky.social) 2025-05-18T23:38:53.000Z

Stewart had her teammates on the field with her as she threw it, and was purposeful about including them with her in her big moment. She was asked about who she considers to be the Liberty’s biggest rivals, and she went with the Aces. She also added:

“I think a healthy rivalry is similar to what you saw last night. Our fans are booing Vegas, and when we go to Vegas, we’re going to get booed. And similar situation to what you’re going to see here today. I saw yesterday when the fans were turning their backs on Soto.

“That’s the luxury of the sport. That’s what sports is all about, is having passionate fans behind you, like we do at Liberty games, like they do here for the Yankees.”

Liberty fans are some of the very best in sports and create a distinct homecourt advantage at Barclays. That passion and care shines through whether you’re watching at home or are in person

NATASHA WENT COAST-TO-COAST

The New York Liberty crowd was loving this Natasha Cloud bucket pic.twitter.com/k0v4g3M7Sj

— ESPN (@espn) May 17, 2025​

It makes games more fun, and at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. When fans are dialed in to the action and having a good time, it makes for a tremendous atmosphere. We run into problems when some people bring their biases and negativity into the environment, and make things worse for everyone. When that happens, it’s up to all of us to denounce those actions and create a safe environment for everybody.

For the Liberty, this weekend represented a well deserved victory lap. All the hard work they’ve done over the years paid off in such an enormous and satisfying way for them and all of New York. However, they know that a new adventure is beginning and are ready to make even more history. We’ve got a long way to go, but their first at-bat in 2025 was a grand slam.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/19...a-stewart-yankees-mets-subway-series-wnba-mlb

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

ESPN: Expect Brooklyn Nets to consolidate 2025 picks, possibly move up

David Banks-Imagn Images

Duke’s Kon Knueppel continues to look like a consensus pick at No. 8, but the Brooklyn Nets draft order does not seem set, per ESPN.

A week after their post-lottery draft, ESPN is back Monday with a new mock that benefits from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo’s scouting — and reporting — at the NBA Draft Combine. Although their projection of Duke SF Kon Knueppel as the No. 8 pick is not particularly a surprise — he is the leading candidate post-lottery, Givony and Woo increasingly believe the Brooklyn Nets will not use all four of their first round picks. They expect the Nets will either consolidate their picks and/or trade up using picks and player assets, specifically Cam Johnson.

Beyond Knueppel, Givony and Woo have the Nets taking a number of bigs IF they use the four firsts and their own second. They have the Nets taking Thomas Sorber, the promising but injured Georgetown center at No. 19, power forwards Yaxel Lindeborg of UAB and Rasheef Fleming of St. Joseph’s at Nos. 26 and 27, before taking Swiss seven-footer Yanic Konan Niederhauser from Penn State at No. 36. The 22-year-old Konan-Niederhaouser probably had the best week of any prospect, jumping from the G League Elite Camp to a consensus second rounder.

In each summary of the prospective Nets picks the two ESPN writers go to lengths to note their belief, apparently shared by NBA teams, that Brooklyn will not make all four picks, specifically noting that the Nets are unlikely to make picks at both their picks in the late 20’s. In general, here’s how Woo believes the Nets will see Draft Night:

Count the Nets among the many disappointed lottery teams, dropping two spots from No. 6 to No. 8 after San Antonio and Dallas jumped.

Brooklyn has veteran players, including Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks in this draft and future assets to dangle if it wants to move higher in the lottery. Teams expect the Nets, who are also operating in the interest of present and future cap space, to consolidate some of what they have.

Adding to the possible case for an uncertain Nets night at Barclays Center on June 25 is that Givony and Woo indicate that while they — as well as other draftniks — see Knueppel as the Nets consensus pick, Sean Marks & Co. could take a chance two big international point guards who played college ball this season.

There’s also an interesting case for selecting and developing a young ball handler such as Egor Demin or Kasparas Jakucionis, or going with the offensive upside of Derik Queen, if the Nets stay at this spot.

It’s not that Knueppel is seen as a bad choice. Givony in a weekend podcast with Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! described himself as a big Knueppel guy. While many Nets fans see the Duke wing as a one-dimensional shooter, Woo disagrees:

Knueppel’s reliable offensive play and high-level shooting would be a nice building block for the Nets, with his skill set augmenting most lineups no matter how they choose to build long term. League insiders see additional scoring and playmaking upside from the consistent wing.

Are any of those “insiders” work at HSS Training Center?

Sorber, ESPN writes, won’t be working out for teams before the Draft, recovering from February foot surgery, but his measurements became an eye-opener and helped his draft stock which was already high from scouting reports prior to his injury.

Still, his strong feel for the game, defensive versatility, length, physicality and skill level as a pick-and-roll finisher are attractive qualities at 19 years old that should draw plenty of attention in this portion of the draft.

In Chicago, his wingspan was measured at 7-6, allowing him to play much bigger than his height (6-10½ in shoes).

It’s the two picks in the 20’s that seem most at risk of being moved, In assessing both Lendeborg (who may still decide to play at Michigan) and Fleming, they add caveats.

Rival teams expect the Nets to explore moving one or both of these picks in the 20s, as they manage their roster and salary cap situation to best position themselves moving forward...

———-

The Nets might not be the team selecting here, which would make these picks in the late 20s interesting swing spots.

The rationale for not using all their picks is multi-faceted, starting with the difficulty of developing so many young players at once, particularly since the Nets already have two 20-year-olds in need of more development on the roster in Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney and are looking at decisions on five minimum salary players and two two-ways, none of whom has played more than two seasons or 122 games in the NBA.

There’s also the roster spots. Each of the four firsts would command four-year deals, the first two years of which are guaranteed. That’s a commitment of $16.4 million this season, and a total commitment of nearly $80 million through 2029. On the other side of the argument, Brooklyn needs bodies.

One strong possibility previously noted by Givony and Woo is trading picks forward to the 2026 NBA Draft seen at least as good as 2025 selection, although its depth remains uncertain. The Nets currently have one first and two seconds in 2026.

Who might the Nets like if they moved up? No word from Givony and Woo, but several fan favorites are not that far from No. 8 including Jeremiah Fears, now firmly entrenched at No. 5 in ESPN’s rankings; followed by Tre Johnson at No. 6, and Khaman Maluach at No. 7. As we noted Saturday, the 76ers are reportedly putting out feelers for the No. 3 pick where ESPN places Ace Bailey of Rutgers.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/19...ts-to-consolidate-2025-picks-possibly-move-up

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

D’Angelo Russell in China, selling shoes ... and his brand

D’Angelo Russell was in Beijing Tuesday for a day’s worth of marketing and NetsDaily had a special correspondent follow him.

D’Angelo Russell spent his Tuesday in Beijing, part of a four-city, seven-day tour of China to promote his brand and specifcally his new signature shoe, the DL0 1, from Li Ning’s “Way of Wade” line. The theme; float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Muhammad Ali’s great line.

Propelling that marketing butterfly has been a bit of a whirlwind.

The Nets vet is visiting Kunming, Beijing, Changsha and Hong Kong, working basketball clinics: hosting a podcast at a mall ... with a hefty entry fee; attending the Finals of the Chinese Basketball Association all in the marketing his new shoe that is out this week. He’s been with Li Ning for six years and has been a regular on NBA promotion tours. Two years ago, he and Dwyane Wade toured the country and now, as a member of the Brooklyn Nets he’s back on his own.

Monday, it was Kunming, the first stop that included a clinic and game with locals...

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by D'Angelo Russell (@dloading)​

Then, Tuesday it was the Chinese capital highlighted by the meet-and-greet at a Beijing mall where he took questions in a podcast format...,

Big crowd in Beijing today for D’Angelo Russell. DLo also made an appearance at Game 6 of CBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/jpg5MQRc4W

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) May 20, 2025​

The price tag for being able to ask D’Lo questions, get selfies and autographs: 2,299 Chinese Yuan or $320. The local mall was all dressed up for Russell...

Russell is indeed one of the most popular NBA players in China...

In fact, wherever he went in Beijing, D’Lo attracted a crowd. As our man in Beijing learned… pic.twitter.com/7SSifZiO4e

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) May 20, 2025​

Tuesday night, he was at the deciding game of the CBA Finals, donning the jersey of Li-Ning’s big Chinese player rep Zheng FanBo, showing off his new shoes. (Zheng’s team lost.)

Changsha and Hong Kong, with a big Li-Ning event Friday, will follow.

For D’Lo, China is prime marketing territory not only because of his long association with Li-Ning, but because he has played most of his career with the three most popular teams in China: twice with the Nets and Lakers and once with the Warriors. And that matters to players for whom business deals are becoming as big or bigger than endorsements. It’s also something BSE Global has focused on. The Nets are not only No. 3 in among Chinese fans, they’re No. 3 in France as well as No. 10 overall internationally. (In comparison, the Knicks never strong internationally, are only 16th in China.)

In his podcast with fans, Russell did not talk about returning to Brooklyn but rather focused on his career. He has said he wants to return to the Nets, but that the decision won’t be up to him. One thing he did mention Tuesday was how much of a big change his first stint with the Nets represented.

He told fans that prior to his trade to Brooklyn (for Brook Lopez and the rights to Kyle Kuzma) in June of 2017, he had not taken his conditioning as seriously as he should have while in L.A. It wasn’t until that summer that he focused on his cardio, nutrition and sleeping habits, canceled summer travel plans so he could up his performance to the All-Star level he reached in 2019. (In talking with reporters this season after his return to Brooklyn, D’Lo singled out the Nets performance team for their work with him.)

The Nets open their preseason and help usher the NBA back into China — after a five year hiatus — in early October when they travel to Macao, the resort city across the Pearl River delta from Hong Kong. Whether D’Lo will be on that plane won’t be known for a while, but if he is, he’s likely to be sitting right up front.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/20/24433974/dangelo-russell-in-china-selling-shoes-and-his-brand

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

The Backcourt: Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford season recaps

Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images

On the latest episode of The Backcourt, Capper and I recap the seasons of two LSU Tigers. I expound more here.

On Monday, I was joined by very special guest Tim Capstraw on The Backcourt, and we continued with player recap episodes, discussing the 2025 seasons of Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford.

Thomas, now at the end of his rookie contract and hitting restricted free agency, is an understandably polarizing player. He gets buckets, and hits shots that very, very few NBA players could dream of taking without getting benched, much less hitting.

If you’ve read my writing on Thomas, you know that I’ve often critiqued his offensive game, and said it’s unlikely that he’ll become a primary option for a good NBA team. I don’t even care about his defense, which is quite bad, even by the standards of a guard in their early 20’s. But that stuff can change.

In the episode, I note his undeniable improvement over the past two seasons, since he played just 25 games this season. Per Cleaning the Glass, he posted a preposterous 33.1% usage rate, and yet!

Thomas’ assist-rate was near the league-average, he turned some of those pull-up twos into pull-up threes and turned in his most efficient scoring season to date, and his turnover rate remained quite low. In Capstraw’s words, it was definitely a small-sample size, but it didn’t feel like a fluke. In his final two games of the season, Thomas seemed more committed than ever to making the right play...

fantastic early plays from Cam Thomas: pic.twitter.com/2BWA8FwkmT

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 14, 2025​

In the episode, I mention that he has an astonishingly similar stat profile to Jaylen Brown over the past two seasons, buffing out the sample size, and I’ll expound on that here.

Both sharing sky-high usage-rates, Brown’s true-shooting % over the past two seasons is 56.8, a couple points below league-average. Thomas’ is 56.0. Brown’s assist-rate (the percentage of his team’s field-goals he assisted on while on the floor) was 16.6 in 2024, and 21.4 this season. Thomas’ was 15.7, then 22.9.

Each are slightly better-than-average at preventing turnovers. Each take about 40% of their shots from the mid-range, but the key difference is Brown gets to the rack for 30% of his shots, as opposed to Thomas’ 20%, and is a more efficient finisher there.

Nevertheless, Brown makes $60 million a year, and Thomas will have to barter to get $20 million. I’m highly skeptical of each of them turning into championship-level #1s, but honestly, this type of analysis is far too simplistic in this era of the NBA. Perhaps Tyrese Haliburton, who I love, is still waiting to make his first Conference Finals appearance if his playoff opponents weren’t always injured, and is an underwhelming #1 option. Nothing is absolute.

Cam Thomas is improving, and I get specific about those improvements on the podcast.

As for Trendon Watford, it’s nice to see a defined role for the funky, jumbo-sized ball-handler. He needs to stop turning the ball over, shoot more threes, and become a better defensive rebounder, all of which could continue turning him into a matchup nightmare off the bench.

Whether or not the unrestricted free agent returns to Brooklyn next year is anybody's guess, but Watford appears to be a real NBA player, even if he does have warts.

After the New York Liberty play the Chicago Sky this Thursday, I’ll be on vacation for a few days. But when I get back, I look forward to starting scouting reports of potential Nets draftees; if there is a player you particularly want to read about, comment below. In the meantime:

YouTube:

Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-backcourt-episode-29-5-19/id1775713457?i=1000709011285

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tuTBMSDQksxMJU3zrarEy?si=8d35cef53e1d4649

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/21...-cam-thomas-and-trendon-watford-season-recaps

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Old Nets in new places: Jacque Vaughn and Tyler Johnson have new jobs

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Two former Nets you might have forgotten about will be starting new gigs soon. And both owners of the Nets, the Tsais and Kochs, were in NFL news.

It’s been quite the day for ex-Brooklyn Nets on LinkedIn. This afternoon, Kansas Men’s Basketball announced that former head coach Jacque Vaughn will be returning to his alma mater as an assistant under Bill Self this coming season. Vaughn did two tours as Brooklyn’s head coach, one as an interim after Kenny Atkinson’s dismissal in 2020, and then again when Steve Nash was dumped in 2022, ultimately getting full time coach gig a week later.

Welcome home, Jacque Vaughn

The Kansas great returns to Lawrence as an assistant coach

→ https://t.co/gzenBGLGyQ pic.twitter.com/r0ub4eIXwj

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) May 21, 2025​

Despite being a two-time coach and with the organization for eight years, Vaughn’s time leading Brooklyn already feels a bit like ancient history with his successor (no, I don’t mean Kevin Ollie) stepping in and essentially becoming the face of the organization this season.

Nonetheless, it had its fair share of exciting chapters — none more thrilling than the first, as the Nets enjoyed a 16-1 stretch not long after he took over during the 2022-23 season.

In February 2023, Nets signed Vaughn to a four-year extension. He was making about $5 million a season, per league sources. But JV was gone by the All-Star Break of last year, his dismissal coming days after the Nets lost by 50 points to the Celtics, the second biggest loss in franchise history. There were also reports that he had lost the confidence of “several players.”

The status of Vaughn’s contract with the Nets remains unclear. Normally, coaches’ contracts have an offset clause that reduces a team’s liability if after being dumped, he takes another job. Asked for comment, a Nets spokesperson declined.

Prior to joining the Nets, he had previous coaching roles with the Magic as a head coach as well as an assistant with the Spurs. His NBA playing career lasted 13 seasons, two of them with the Nets.

However, Vaughn’s history with Kansas runs far deeper. The prodigal Jayhawk spent four years at KU, earning 2x All-Big 8 honors, an All-Big 12 one his senior year, and being named the Big 8 Player of the Year in 1995-96. His No. 11 also hangs in Allen Fieldhouse.

“The game of basketball has provided me the incredible privilege to mentor, coach, and compete alongside some of the best in the game,” Vaughn said. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring those experiences back to the school that means so much to me. It’s a blessing to once again be part of the Jayhawk tradition.”

His contract status with Kansas is also uncertain.

Hours later, Fresno State Men’s Basketball announced that former Nets guard Tyler Johnson agreed to join their coaching staff as an assistant as well. Johnson is a former Bulldog.

'

Tyler Johnson makes his return to the Valley as an assistant coach pic.twitter.com/n3kGvVfkC1

— Fresno State Men’s Basketball (@FresnoStateMBB) May 21, 2025​

Johnson overlapped with Vaughn, playing big minutes for him as the interim head coach in the bubble and then again with JV staying on as an assistant under Steve Nash during the 2020-21 season.

He appeared in 12 of the infamous 16 games where Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden all played together. Suiting up for 47 in total with the team, Johnson averaged 6.1 points, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 boards per game with Brooklyn.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to come back to the valley,” Johnson said. “I am looking forward to being a part of the transformation of this program.”

—————————-

Meanwhile, both Brooklyn ownership groups made some news in the NFL Wednesday. Sports Business Journal reported that the league approved the sale of a piece of Joe Tsai’s already small stake in the Miami Dolphins to a trio of smaller investors. Tsai brought 2,9% of the franchise a little more than a month ago at a reported price of more than $200 million. The transaction approved by the NFL will transfer a third of that — 1.1% — to the trio, according to the SBJ.

NFL owners are expected to approve player participation in Olympic flag football at LA28 and minority stake sales for the Chargers, 49ers, Browns, and Dolphins

The Dolphins deal includes Joe Tsai selling 1.1% of his stake to a trio of small investors.https://t.co/fuQ0hnRP9i

— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) May 20, 2025​

No details on what Tsai received in return.

Meanwhile, CNBC reported Wednesday that the family of Julia Koch, Tsais’ partner in the Nets, Liberty and Barclays Center may make a bid for a piece of the New York Giants which has attracted a number of investors since the Mara family suggested that it was willing to sell up to 10% of the franchise, worth an estimated $7.85 billion. Julia Koch and her three children paid $688 million for a 15% stake in the BSE Global brands last June.

Beyond the Nets, Liberty and possibly the Giants, Mike Ozanian wrote the Kochs have interests in other sports assets:

Koch and her family are interested in additional investments in teams, especially in the New York market, according to a person familiar with Koch’s thinking.

Koch’s son, David, has been a basketball operations assistant for the Nets since last September.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/21...jacque-vaughn-and-tyler-johnson-have-new-jobs

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

NY Liberty vs. Chicago Sky preview: The champs hit the road for two

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Liberty are on their first road trip of the WNBA season. First up, a date with the new-look Chicago Sky

Off to a good start. The New York Liberty unveiled their championship banner and receied their rings as well. After that, they and the 17,344 fans in attendance at Barclays Center got down to the business of the 2025 season. They pulled away late in the fourth quarter to comfortably beat the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty won’t be back home until after the Memorial Day holiday.

The opponent tonight is having their home opener. The Chicago Sky opened the season on Saturday afternoon in a national TV showdown against the Indiana Fever. The game was close early, but the Sky let go of the rope after halftime and wound up losing by 35 points.

Where to follow the game​

For the first time this season, the game will air on MY9. Here’s the commentary team for this season.

Tipping of the 2025 season with an all-star broadcast team

We’re excited to welcome back a star-studded group of Emmy-award winners including Michael Grady, Zora Stephenson, and Chris Shearn. Ros Gold-Onwude will lead color analyst duties with Tina Cervasio as the team’s lead… pic.twitter.com/Yz5t5fAkjT

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 13, 2025​

The champs have a great crew behind the mic! Any time Grady is behind a mic is a good thing.

Tip after 8:00 p.m. ET and the pregame with Tina Cervasio will begin at 7:30.

Injuries​

Nothing doing for the Liberty.

Moriah Jefferson is out for the Sky.

The game​

It’s been a heavy week for the Sky. During the game on Saturday, Angel Reese got hacked by Caitlin Clark and it was upgraded to a flagrant foul.

Caitlin Clark commits a foul on Angel Reese and Angel was not happy about it. Please don't overreact in the replies

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-05-17T20:41:15.579Z

It was later alleged that there was an incident of some sorts, which is being investigated by the league. The team is letting this investigation take its course and are back to focusing on the game. We’ll keep you posted once there’s an update.

The game promises to be incredibly physical. The Sky were one of the best rebounding teams in the WNBA in 2024 and after suffering a bad loss on national TV, will be extra motivated in their home opener. At practice on Tuesday, Jonquel Jones spoke about that at practice on Tuesday:

“They’re a really physical team. They use their physicality to kind of mask some of the other ways that they may not be there yet. And I think that if we go in there and we think it’s just gonna be a cakewalk and it’s just gonna be an easy game, then you look up and you’re down 20 points and you’re wondering why. “

So we just have to be ready for that level of physicality. We have to be ready and understand that like we gotta hit first. We can’t just wait for them to indicate or show us like what the level of physicality will be for that game. We have to set the tone and set the standard.”

That will start with Kamilla Cardoso. KC had a solid rookie season and finished 12th in the W in rebounding. She has good touch at the rim and is a load to handle on the glass. For Jones, Nyara Sabally, and the rest of the Liberty, they'll have to find ways to limit her impact and get her into foul trouble.

Guard play will be essential tonight. Natasha Cloud had the Liberty debut of a lifetime as her energy and defense took the Barclays Center crowd to another level. She'll be matched up with NY's point guard from last year, Courtney Vandersloot. Sloot had a great run in NY, but decided to return to Chicago and help the Sky in their quest to return to contention. She gives a somewhat young team championship experience and can create open looks for a team starved for scoring.

Player to watch: Angel Reese​

Angel’s at the center of the storm again, but the second year star has taken some steps forward. She had a great time at Unrivaled this winter and comes into this season with more confidence and a sureness to her game. For Reese, the questions of her finishing at the rim will continue to be there until she develops better touch down there. In the meantime, her motor and relentless will make her someone that's incredibly tough to deal with.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the Liberty’s new “five out” offense. Long story short, it looks to maximize space and create as much room as possible for the players on the court. For Breanna Stewart, it will allow her to make the very most of her shot attempts.

I saw Stephen Trinkwald make this point over the weekend, and it beared out in the video

I’m sure I’m not the first to point this out, and she obviously did a lot of ball handling and got to the FT line off the dribble a couple of times, but eight of Breanna Stewart’s ten made twos came without a dribble on Saturday That’s always going to be where she is at her best offensively

— Stephen (@trinkwald.bsky.social) 2025-05-19T18:18:20.440Z

Finding Stewart on the move and maximizing Jones' passing skills will make the Liberty even more dangerous. Great timing and even better movement off the ball is the recipe to stop any defense. Look for the Liberty to be aggressive in getting to the paint.

From the Vault​

Ones in the air for Frank White

More reading: Swish Appeal, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/22...breanna-stewart-kamilla-cardoso-jonquel-jones

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

New York Liberty set WNBA 3-point record, dominate Chicago Sky, 99-74

Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Liberty said hello to Courtney Vandersloot, then pummeled her team into the ground.

As expected, pregame festivities Thursday featured many smiles and warm remarks, and then the New York Liberty went out and destroyed the Chicago Sky.

It was Chicago’s home-opener, the Liberty’s first road game, and the first time Courtney Vandersloot would see her former team since the championship parade last October.

The future Hall of Famer amicably returned to her former franchise this offseason in search of a larger (starting) role and the friendly confines of her old home.

Said Sloot of her time in New York: “There was a lot that happened in those two years. Very special things obviously, winning another championship. But you know, the things that we went through together as a group, the relationships we were able to build and find ways to win: Those are very special moments in my career, and I’ll remember those forever.”

Head Coach Sandy Brondello will too: “I love Sloot. Obviously, she’s one of the greatest point guards of all time ... We’re just excited to see her, and hopefully we get to see the little bub and Allie and see the family.”

Brondello touched on the Liberty’s new look in 2025, gently hinting at what had become obvious over the second half of 2024, that the team is simply better with Leonie Fiebich in the starting lineup, and now, better with Natasha Cloud running the point.

That’s no slight to Sloot and neither is how much better the Liberty are than her new/old team. If not for a barrage of offensive rebounds, the Sky would have been down by 20 after the first quarter, unable to do anything in the way of shot-making. Anything...

quite the sequence here as the Sky miss six shots on one possession -- Jonquel Jones already up to two blocks and two threes already: pic.twitter.com/puXz6QnoVv

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2025​

Before the first media timeout on Thursday night, Jonquel Jones already had two blocks, and Breanna Stewart, who finished with three steals and two blocks, was similarly impossible to score around on the inside.

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso comprise a physically imposing double-big front-court, but they were mauled by two of the best to ever do it in Jones and Stewie. Reese in particular had a brutal time, shooting 0-of-8 while getting blocked four times.

The Sky couldn’t score enough to take advantage of what amounted to 20 Liberty turnovers, a number that incensed Brondello: “I wasn’t happy at halftime. I wasn’t happy at all. I just thought we were all clunky, and regardless of the score, we didn’t have the pace and the urgency and the spacing that we need as we move forward.”

When New York corrected that, the competitive portion of the game quickly ended. Even after struggling in extended garbage time, they finished with 55/56(!)/94 shooting splits. No player reached 20 points, but everybody looked comfortable. By the end of the second quarter, the machine had smoothed out...

Jonquel draws two in the post, smart cut by KB to capitalize...Libs are nailing a lot of the small stuff tn pic.twitter.com/hGJAiEc0oM

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2025​

Especially encouraging was the play of the bench: Rebekah Gardner looked nothing like a 34-year-old coming off an achilles tear, zipping around the court to make winning plays on both ends. Though Marine Johannès scored just six points, she was frequently involved in New York’s best possessions...

Marine Johannès one-handed dime, Liberty back up 18

some good reserve minutes rn pic.twitter.com/Z0JC5qO2Md

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2025​

Said Natasha Cloud: “We have, I think, some of the most unselfish franchise players, and that just trickles down once you have your top players starting that way. So we share the ball here and we like that.”

It was fitting, then, that Kennedy Burke shot 5-of-6 to score 17 points off the bench, and was the player who made WNBA history, hitting the Liberty’s 19th three of the game...

Liberty make history with 19 3PM - a NEW ALL-TIME WNBA RECORD

NOW THAT'S HOW YOU #LIGHTITUPNYL pic.twitter.com/IjIOKpHL2x

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 23, 2025​

That is a new single-game WNBA record, but Burke didn’t seem too phased by it: “I got the ball, and I just shot it because I was wide open. So, you know, that’s my role on the team, just to shoot when I’m open and just to make big plays.

Thanks to rebounds and turnovers, the Sky ended up taking 11 more field-goals and eight more free-throws than their guests, and were still never close after halftime. At the very least, that gives New York something to clean up on a night where the outcome was never in doubt.

“A lot of areas we can get better at, obviously, I’m going to have joy because we won a game, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be on the offensive end,” said Brondello.

Only the head coach of this New York Liberty team, powered by one of the greatest double-big lineups of all-time and an overwhelming supporting cast, could say that on a night her team broke the single-game 3-point record and mean it. Better yet, she’s right!

Though the euphoria of ring night couldn’t be topped, New York’s road-opener went as well as it could. It even had the perfect epilogue...

Sloot reunion, as her ex-Liberty teammates make sure to get a group photo and plenty of hugs pic.twitter.com/5Q2pqJOoOf

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2025​

Final Score: New York Liberty 99, Chicago Sky 74

Next Up​

Photo by Michael Hickey/NBAE via Getty Images

The Liberty finish off their trip to the Midwest with a game in which they won’t have a 20-turnover margin-of-error. They’ll face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, with tip-off scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.

• Box Score: New York Liberty 99, Chicago Sky 74 - WNBA
• Liberty break single-game WNBA 3-pointers record, pass physicality test in blowout win over Sky - Madeleine Kenney - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/22...onquel-jones-angel-reese-courtney-vandersloot

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Which international prospects are part of Brooklyn Nets draft plans?

Photo by Sonia Canada/Getty Images

Hugo Gonzalez of Spain, Noa Essengue of France, Hansen Yang of China? Who might the Nets like on Draft Night. We take a close look at five of

The last seven MVPs have been international, the last two overall No. 1 picks have been international, French to be exact. So making sure you have a sense of what prospects lurk overseas is a high priority for GMs.

There’s no indication — nor should we expect any — of who the Brooklyn Nets like and who they don’t but they have an extensive international scouting operation led by Simone Casali, a former Italian basketball executive. Sean Marks himself made at least one international scouting trip, to Australia, to the NBL Blitz, the Australian league’s annual showcase of their international prospects back in September.

Now that the NBA Draft is a month away, the international picture is starting to form and a number of international prospects are beginning to be linked to Brooklyn and its five current picks at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36. None more so than Noa Essengue, a 6’10” 18-year-old French power forward who plays for Ratiopharma Elm in the German league (along with another top prospect, Ben Saraf, a 6’6” Israeli point guard.)

We’ll leave the film study to Lucas Kaplan (who’s preparing studies of top prosects) but suffice it to say that Essengue is moving up the draft boards. In their latest mocks, out this week, both Yahoo! Sports and Bleacher Report have him being picked by the Nets at No. 8.

Noa Essengue, 6’10” PF, France​

The second youngest player in the Draft, only three days older than Cooper Flagg, Essengue stands out because he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports wrote this of Essengue in linking him to the Nets:

Essengue is a toolsy forward with a fluid handle, dynamic finishing package, and highly versatile defense. Though he’s a raw Frenchman, he’s starting to string together his best run of the season. This week, he had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals against Euroleague team Alba Berlin in the German league playoffs. At 6-foot-9 with upside across the board, that’s why he’s rising up draft boards. But he isn’t without concerns, since he’s made only 26.2% of his jump shots this season. Brooklyn has a clean slate of a future, though, so it’d only make sense to take a big swing after not moving up into the top four.

Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman similarly had this to say in his analysis of why he fits with the Nets:

Big scoring outputs are becoming more common for Noa Essengue in the German BBL.

The easy baskets off rim runs, cuts and offensive rebounds have been consistent all season. But he’s looking more comfortable converting off self-created drives and knocking down rhythm threes.

His improving on-ball skill and rising offensive production are becoming notable draft storylines, considering he’s the draft’s second-youngest prospect who also offers exciting defensive tools and movement.

in his latest tweets about top prospects, Jonathan Givony posted this...

Projected lottery pick Noa Essengue had his best game of the season in a win over Euroleague team Alba Berlin in the German BBL playoffs. 21 points (13-13 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals for the 6'11, 18-year old French power forward. pic.twitter.com/HA6syDHEaN

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 18, 2025​

Problem for a lot of teams who haven’t seen a lot of him so far is that Ratiopharma Elm is still playing in the German League playoffs and his arrival for team workouts is TBA.

Ben Saraf, 6’6” PG, Israel​

That’s true of teammate Ben Saraf as well. Saraf has also been linked to Brooklyn. In fact, in our last round-up of mock drafts, the Israeli combo guard was among those most linked to the Nets in a survey of 10 mocks. He has four mentions at Nos. 26 and 27. Jon Givony likes him for his ability to play both positions, but warns of his turnovers and defense.

Saraf brings a potent combination of size, scoring instincts, feel for the game, aggressiveness and playmaking, showing supreme timing and creativity operating in the pick-and-roll. His sharp basketball instincts are evident in every aspect of the game.

His struggles with turnovers, scoring efficiency and porous defense against higher-level competition have caused some pause among talent evaluators about how his game might translate to the NBA ranks.

Ricky O’Connell of SB Nation has similar concerns but also notes his strengths.

Saraf is a 6’5 point guard who has had a productive season as an 18-year-old in the German league playing for Ulm alongside Noa Essengue. The Israeli floor general is skilled in the pick-and-roll. He’s more of a passer than a scorer, bur he does have a nice mid-range pull-up game. Saraf is a shaky jump shooter from deep (29.4 percent from three) who will need to develop more range on his jumper to keep defenses honest from going under screens and sagging off him. Still, his 32.4 percent assist rate, 2.6 percent steal rate, and 27.6 percent usage gives him a chance if he can improve on his struggles to score efficiently in the halfcourt.

Could the Nets draft two firsts off the same team. They did that once back in 2006 when they took Marcus Williams and Josh Boone from UConn. That did not work out well.

Givony’s take and video...

At 19, Ben Saraf brings an impressive combination of size, scoring instincts, feel for the game, aggressiveness and playmaking, with supreme timing and creativity operating in pick and roll, and sharp basketball instincts which manifest themselves in every part of the game. https://t.co/hpEtdQTYgo pic.twitter.com/6gHRdqbSDT

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 18, 2025​

Hugo Gonzalez, 6’7” Wing, Spain​

The player with the most mentions in our most recent mock draft roundup, domestic or international, was a smart, athletic 6’7” Spanish wing, Hugo Gonzalez, who was linked to the Nets at four of the five draft positions, missing out only at No. 8.

He’s an intriguing piece. A few years back, when playing internationally, he was compared favorably to Cooper Flagg. As Stephen Gillaspie of No Ceilings wrote recently in one of their extensive takes, back in the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, Gonzalez helped Spain earn a silver against Team USA, leading Spain with 16 points to Flagg’s 10. (If you’re interested in watching, here’s the tape including a nice dunk by Gonzales 23:00 in.)

Indeed, scouts think Gonzalez’s FIBA footage may be give you a better read of his potenial than his more recent time with Real Madrid. where he has been behind a lot of NBA-level wing talent, He’s been getting only 10 minutes a game this season. It would seem to make individual workouts essential for teams trying to grade him. Problem is that Real Madrid will be playing right up to the Draft! Did the Nets scout him? Yes.

Gillaspie wrote this of Gonzalez’s hard-to-read prospects as an NBA player.

The scout on Hugo Gonzalez is an interesting one. There isn’t anything that jumps out are screams: “Hey! I’m definitely a translatable NBA skill set!” with him, but there are some strong moments of production when he has been in a setting with his peers. It’s hard to rely exclusively on the Real Madrid film this year, as it is a smaller sample size than many of the other players in this class. How much will NBA teams want to invest in a player like this?

I’m of the mindset that the team will: 1) Have to either have multiple picks. 2) Be deep and established enough to take a chance on a young talent. 3) Take him in the second round.

In his most recent take on the 2025 Draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic/New York Times thinks he’d be a good fit for Brooklyn at No. 26.

Gonzalez is a tremendous athlete playing in Spain for Real Madrid and has started to get some playing time here and there for the senior team as a teenager. He plays with an exceptional motor and just consistently plays incredibly hard all of the time. He’s one of those dudes who always gives second and third efforts across the board, both on offense and defense, to get loose balls.

Givony too thinks he’s worth a shot because of that intensity.

Hugo Gonzalez brings outstanding physical tools, defensive versatility, high-level intensity, and winning qualities on both ends of the floor. He wreaks havoc in passing lanes and as a rim-protector, while moving the ball unselfishly and flying out energetically in transition. https://t.co/NZt7IgQmrK pic.twitter.com/Nbc1zFapai

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 19, 2025​

Givony has also pointed out that Gonzalez, who’s been with Real Madrid since age 9, turned down $1 million in NIL money from BYU last year. Instead, his teammate, Egor Demin, came to Utah.

Nolan Traore, 6’3” PG, France​

Another international player whose stock isn’t as high as it once was is 6’3” 18-year-old French point guard Nolan Traore. In preseason mock drafts, Traore was seen as a top 5-to-7 pick, but his transition from one level to another in the French league initially did not go well and he dropped. Of late though he’s been playing well for Saint-Quentin in Serie A and Kevin O’Connor for one likes him at No. 19 for the Nets.

Traoré oozes upside with his size, blazing speed, and shiftiness off the bounce. And it’s starting to manifest into actual production: In his last game, he dropped 21 points with seven assists to only two turnovers. And he continued to shoot the heck out of the ball too. Over his last six games, he’s made 50% of his 3s. And over his last 10 games, he’s made 82% of his free throws. Inefficient scoring and erratic decision-making are the big concerns with Traoré, but if he keeps this up there’s a chance he won’t even make it to this pick for Brooklyn to pair him with a French teammate in Essengue.

O’Connor adds that Traore is likely the speediest prospect in the Draft. No argument here after watching what Givony posted earlier this month.

Another big game for Nolan Traore in France. Tied his LNB career-high with 25 points in 20 minutes, 4 assists and the W to help Saint-Quentin clinch the play-in tournament. Pace, handle, and burst were on display, along with his playmaking and shot-making prowess. pic.twitter.com/CRbhsfqIZN

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 9, 2025​

Traore won’t be in NBA gyms for a while. He too is still playing.

Hansen Yang, 7’1” C, China​

One player who’s rising up the boards, but as of our last round-up wasn’t linked to Brooklyn, could wind up as a surprise either on June 25 or 26: Hansen Yang, a legitimate 7-footer who has shown off some surprising skills in Chicago at the Combine last week and Klutch Sports agent day this week, both of which were heavily attended by Sean Marks and co.

The Nets were among a handful of teams who traveled scouts to China to watch Yang play for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association. He is China’s best big man prospect and one of several young international bigs this year with some terrific passing skills along with Danny Wolf of Israel and Michigan and Bogoljub Marković of Serbia.

Yang does have some predictable issues as Kevin O’Connor wrote of him:

Yang is a massive Chinese 7-footer who scores with old-school craft, passes well, and cleans the glass. But how much his slow feet and lack of shooting range can be improved will determine whether he can stick in the pros. The Wizards should roll the dice because Alex Sarr could in theory help Yang on defense, while Yang’s offense could lift all the other talent already on the roster.

Yang did surprise at the combine with a max vertical of 30”, the same as Khaman Maluach from Duke and South Sudan.

However, the Nets are in need of development projects and, yes, Joe Tsai said as far back as 2019 in an interview with NetsDaily that he’d like to see Chinese players in a Nets uniform as long as they’re qualified.

“I’ve been on record saying if there’s good Chinese players, I would do anything to help them come — if they want to come play in the NBA, I would do anything to help them do that.” he told us.

Moreover, Tsai will be hosting the Nets, with a full training camp roster, in Macao next October for a couple of preseason games. Let’s not forget that until he tore his ACL in December, Jacky Cui was on a two-way. Yang turns 20 the night of the second round of of the NBA Draft on June 26.

Givony thinks he could worth a second round pick, moving him up to No. 41, just south of the Nets second round pick, this week.

Hansen Yang had a positive showing at the NBA draft combine, demonstrating his unique blend of size (7'2), bulk (252 pounds), length (9-3 standing reach), skill and feel for the game, with two effective scrimmages this week. pic.twitter.com/lU5UeQXXM8

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 17, 2025​

————————————————————————-

There are lot of other international prospects, including a number who played for NCAA teams making them more collegiate prospects than international. Three of them have been regularly linked in mock drafts to the Nets: Khaman Maluach, the Duke 7-footer from South Sudan and the two big point guards 6’6”Kasparas Jakučionis of Illinois and Lithuania and 6’10” Egor Demin of BYU and Russia. There’s also Will Riley, Jakučionis 6’8” teammate from Canada, and 7’1” Maxine Reynaud of France who played at Stanford. .

Two Australians, Rocco Zikarsky, at 7’4’ easily the biggest player in the draft and 6’8” sharpshooter Alex Toohey, were among the players Marks scouted in September. Plus there’s always Frenchmen like 6’11” Joan Beringer and 6’7” Noah Penda, occasionally mentioned as possible Brooklyn targets.

The Nets do not advertise who they like or even who they have in for workouts nor much else, particularly in a draft where they have so many picks. Indeed, we don’t know and likely won’t know until late June how many times first Adam Silver and then Mark Tatum will call the Nets number and how many times they’ll be using phenetic spelling to pronounce the names.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/22...ospects-are-part-of-brooklyn-nets-draft-plans

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

NY Liberty win national TV thriller vs. Indiana Fever, 90-88

Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images

The Indiana Fever are expected to compete for a WNBA championship in 2025. And on Saturday, they gave the New York Liberty all they could handle.

When you’re at the top of the mountain, you’re going to get teams’ best effort every single night. You’re the standard and everyone’s trying to get to where you are and surpass you along the way. It makes for a challenge every night, but when you’re the champions, you have to be ready for all challengers. It’s a tough part of the gig, but that’s the way it goes.

The New York Liberty built a 15-point lead in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon and looked to be on the way to an early statement victory against the Indiana Fever. However, they started to let go of the rope and the Fever gradually found their way back into it.

Caitlin Clark in particular struggled early against the Liberty defense as she had nine turnovers in the first three quarters. However, you can’t keep superstars down for too long and she gradually found her rhythm and eventually had a sold out Gainbridge Fieldhouse on its feet with another magical moment

Caitlin Clark beats the Q3 buzzer with the triple from way downtown pic.twitter.com/lhJ1iu45UI

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 24, 2025​

Going into the fourth, the Liberty found themselves down 10 and completely out of sorts. The team stopped finding their way into the paint, the ball stopped moving, and the crowd was lifting the Fever higher and higher. Fortunately for the Liberty, their championship pedigree returned at the right time.

It started with Jonquel Jones. When JJ is dialed in, the Liberty go from super to unbeatable. The Liberty never lose when she collects a double-double, and today she scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 36 minutes. However, she started off slowly on the defensive end and wasn’t providing much resistance against Aliyah Boston.

“Sometimes I did get kind of get out of game and I kind of felt myself slipping into that at halftime,” Jones said in postgame. “I just kind of talked myself out of it and understanding that there’s no room for that. So yeah, it’s just just going out there playing, trusting my teammates, and trusting that we’re going to make the right play for each other because that’s what makes us successful as a team, and just playing the game.”

In the fourth, Jones and the Liberty helped hold Boston to just 1-7 shooting as the defensive intensity and teamwork increased exponentially

On the other side of the ball, JJ singlehandedly kept the offense afloat and outscored the Fever herself (14-12). We saw the entire arsenal on display as Jones was able to work in the post, get to the free throw line, and space the floor

As Sandy Brondello noted, she implored the team to get out of their hands and not worry about... stuff out there. When they do that, great things happen. It also helps to have one of basketball’s greatest defenders step up with the game on the line.

On Cloud 9​

Natasha Cloud has been the story of the 2025 Liberty season so far. Tash has taken to this team and city like a glove and will be essential in New York’s journey to repeat as WNBA champions. Today, she crafted another all around masterpiece as she scored an efficient 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out six assists, collected five steals, and blocked two shots. In the final seconds, she rotated over to DeWanna Bonner and prevented DB from making the go-ahead layup

And with the game on the line, Tash got the assignment against the Fever superstar

Was Caitlin Clark fouled on the final play of the Liberty-Fever game? She certainly thought so and was angry at the no-call. #WNBA

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) 2025-05-24T19:22:33.278Z

As we said in the game preview: “Indiana and New York matching up always guarantees fireworks.”

“Everyone knows what she brings to this team and why she’s so valuable offensively and defensively,” Sabrina Ionescu said in postgame, “and she does it every single night. She plays with a lot of heart and we know what we’re gonna get from her. I think that’s why everyone was so happy when she was able to come here and be a part of this team.”

Final score: New York Liberty 90, Indiana Fever 88

Injury updates​

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Nyara Sabally was a late scratch this morning due to a right knee injury. During the game, Leonie Fiebich knocked knees with Kelsey Mitchell and exited the game. She was listed as questionable with a left shin injury, but did not play in the second half. In postgame, Brondello mentioned that Fiebich got hit in the shin and the team hopes that she will be OK. The Liberty have a lot of depth and started Kennedy Burke in the second half to make up for the absence of Leo and Nyara. The team is dealing with some bumps and bruises, but the victory makes all the struggle worth it.

Next up​

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

The Liberty head home for the Memorial Day holiday and will welcome an old friend back to Brooklyn. They’ll take on the Golden State Valkyries at the ‘clays on Tuesday night. Tip off at 7 PM.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/5/24...a-ionescu-natasha-cloud-aliyah-boston-jonquel