2026 NBA Draft Lottery Preview: Brooklyn Nets
Stephen Gillaspie and Nick Agar-Johnson highlight the picks and possible outcomes the Brooklyn Nets have in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.
Nick: The Brooklyn Nets were probably the unluckiest team on Draft Lottery night. Despite entering the night with the third-best odds, they were jumped by the Bulls, the Grizzlies, and the Jazz, falling all the way to the #6 overall pick after a brutal 20-62 season. While all five members of their 2025 rookie class showed flashes, especially #8 pick Egor Dëmin, only Drake Powell played in 60 games in an injury-plagued campaign for the Nets.
Falling outside the Top 4 was a brutal blow for Brooklyn, but there is still a wealth of talent in this draft class beyond the top of the charts. As the team with the lowest Offensive Rating in the league last season, the Nets are in desperate need of some scoring punch–and they will have quite a few options to pick from in terms of players who are elite at putting the ball in the basket.
Stephen, what are your thoughts here? Which prospects would you be looking at if you were in Sean Marks’s position here with the #6 overall pick?
Stephen: Not to get into a “talking head” rant here, but Brooklyn needs an identity. Regardless of position, they need someone with both the capability and the desire to take the reins of the organization. And, before I give the names I prefer, I want to acknowledge something. I understand that the Nets drafted “four point guards” last season. Egor Dëmin is effectively a wing in the NBA. And, c’mon y’all. Sure, it was funny to call Danny Wolf a point last season, but enough is enough.
Even still, who did the Nets draft that you’re afraid to draft over right now? I’ll wait…
Now that that is out of the way, I really like one of Mikel Brown Jr. or Darius Acuff Jr. to go to Brooklyn. The problem is that the Los Angeles Clippers have the pick ahead of them, and one of those two could be off the board. Depending on who Brooklyn favors more, they may be off the board when they are on the clock–especially if Sacramento trades up with Los Angeles.
Still, either one of those guards would be fantastic for Brooklyn. Mikel is probably the most imaginative and creative guard in this class. Still, there will be some adjustments as he continues to grow into that frame and as he determines how impactful he can be on both sides and across all three levels of offense. Acuff is a stronger guard build, can dribble, pass, and shoot as well as anyone. The big question with him comes on the defensive end of the floor.
I don’t think it’s going to happen, but Nick, do you think they could entertain another position with this pick? Is there another guard that could rival Mikel Brown Jr. or Darius Acuff Jr.?
Nick: So the short version of my answer is: no, yes. The longer version: even though I’m a big believer in both Dëmin and Nolan Traoré, I wouldn’t be concerned about drafting a point guard over them, given both the strength of this guard class and how the board is likely to shake out here for the Nets.
That brings me to the second part of my answer: I would strongly consider both Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings here for the Nets in addition to Acuff Jr. and Brown Jr. For all that the Nets had a really bad break on lottery night, they will still have three of those four guards available for them at #6 barring a shocking turn of events in the Top 5.
Of the two I just added, I think Wagler is probably a better fit for Brooklyn because of his more diverse offensive game. Wagler’s explosion onto the draft scene this year was driven by how spectacular a job he did both on and off the ball for one of the better offenses in the country in Illinois; his remarkable shooting on high volume and a high degree of difficulty would work wonders for Brooklyn’s anemic offense. I think Acuff Jr. would probably be my pick if he were still on the board, but I would definitely kick the tires on all four of them if I were in Brooklyn’s position.
There have also been growing rumblings over the last few days that the Nets are considering non-guard options with the #6 pick. The most commonly-discussed name has been Tennessee’s Nate Ament, who had an up-and-down year but was the fourth-ranked prospect in his high school class. The 6’10” Ament certainly showed flashes in terms of his shot creation and defensive potential, and his roster fit is cleaner than that of any of the guards.
While I would take one of the elite guards in the class and figure it out later, I can at least understand kicking the tires on Ament. Aday Mara might also jump the guard queue here for the Nets, though he has been less prominent than Ament in terms of how much the interest might be mutual between player and team.
Before we go, though, Stephen, the Nets also have one of the most valuable second-round picks, with #33 on the board. The second round is a lot sparser than it has been in previous years, given all the withdrawals, but getting one of the first three selections on Day Two of the draft gives the Nets a chance to snag someone who fell out of the first-round mix.
I have a grab bag of prospects here to suggest for the Nets: two St. John’s guys, and two teammates of players we’ve already mentioned. On the St. John’s front, I would be sprinting to the podium if Zuby Ejiofor were still on the board. His versatility on both ends and great passing touch would allow him to fill a ton of gaps. I’ve also been partial to Dillon Mitchell for a long time, and he would be a great lob threat and roaming defender to complement the rest of their roster. On the teammates’ front, I also think that Ryan Conwell and Meleek Thomas could both be interesting choices to boost the offense while also providing defensive value.
What do you think, Stephen? Any more thoughts on #6 and #33 to close things out?
Stephen: While I personally wouldn’t take either Wagler or Fleming over Acuff or Brown, I certainly understand the “why” behind them. To your point, I do think Wagler offers the most offensive versatility of the two, which is part of why I rank him higher. But I might trust Flemings more to play in the NBA on Day One.
Isn’t it fun how talented all of the top guards are in the class–with such contrasting strengths and weaknesses? I think so.
To address the non-guard discussion, I personally would stick with the player who I think–well, who I know will be the better player in the class. I’m genuinely not trying to be overly harsh here, but I do not get the player, Nate Ament. I get the idea of him, but those two things have been vastly separated from my Summer dive into him, and what he showed when he played in college this year.
Yes, I know: “If he hits, he’s a ____ player.” He was promoted as an on-ball guy coming into the season. I do not trust the ball in his hands at the next level. There is a lack of bend and lean with him. And, to be honest, confidence to do things off a live dribble. Especially shooting off the bounce, where he shot under 29% from deep on off-the-bounce threes.
Okay, so now he is an off-ball, three-and-D prospect. Well, he wasn’t very good in either of those respects this season. He shot under 34% 8.0 attempts per 100 possessions from deep. His 2.7 Block Percentage and 1.9 Steal Percentage were okay, but don’t scream “stopper”. His tape didn’t either. Put another way, he committed more fouls (69) while generating only 56 stocks. His teammate, Ja’Kobi Gillespie–who measured in under 6 feet at the combine–had 30 more stocks than Ament.
Did he rebound well for his position? Yes. Did he show any passing vision from a standstill? Yes. But teams have got to stop falling for the idea of someone like Nate Ament–especially in the Top 8 of this class! Do not pass up on some truly special talents because you think you can “fix” him. There are too many areas of his game that require refinement. And what prospect has Brooklyn shown that they can overhaul this many areas of their game?
I like Mara. I like Mara a lot. But he is not going to be the potential franchise-altering big man that would keep the seats in Brooklyn cool. Get someone who can truly take the reins of this franchise.
You’re absolutely right to highlight the 33rd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. To put that pick into context, players who were available at picks 33 or later in the past three drafts include: Ajay Mitchell, Toumani Camara, GG Jackson, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Maxime Raynaud, Will Richard, Jamal Shead, Cam Spencer, Quinten Post, Ariel Hukporti, Jordan Walsh, among others. I’m sure fan bases would be thrilled to mention.
Every one of those players would have a chance to get some burn on this team. With this class, I think Zuby would be a dream as an in-state fan favorite. I also love the shout of Dillon Mitchell for similar reasons. The idea of them doubling down on teammates for either Mikel and Conwell, or Acuff and Meleek, is always going to give an extra layer of intrigue. I’m here for it!
Alex Karaban played in New York quite a bit as a UConn Husky. I could see him bringing value to the team. Joshua Jefferson could be a fun addition to the team should he be available, given his awesome playmaking. He could be a point forward! How fun is that?
The important thing with the 33rd pick is to keep in mind that the Second Round is happening on a completely separate night from the First Round. There could be some added value in that pick, depending on how players might fall, compared to what may be expected. Brooklyn could be the beneficiary of adding a player, a pick, or even a combination of both in exchange for that pick. Strangely, the Nets would have some power.
The thing I would want to stress to Nets fans is that–regardless of how talented this class is–there should be a “brick-by-brick” mentality over the next couple of seasons. It is incredibly difficult for a rookie to change the fortunes of a team in just one season. Especially if it’s a prospect taken at six. Yes, be excited and enjoy the possibility of landing one of the best guards in a deep class, but maintain a long-term vision for this team.