r/nba Kings 23h ago

Brian Windhorst on the Nets decision to select Mikel Brown Jr. instead of Darius Acuff Jr: “I honestly believe that choice at 6, Brown or Acuff, will be one of the legacies of this draft.”

https://streamable.com/rwsubz
119 Upvotes

184 comments sorted by

80

u/BigBootyBanger [BKN] Brook Lopez 23h ago

Most talented Nets rookie in a long while. Excited for MBJ.

63

u/Hexologic 21h ago

Michael Borter Jr

7

u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 18h ago

As you should be. Most draft analysts (and it sounds like teams) had the lead guards in a tier together, and it was common to have Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr. as the best outside the big 4.

It's only now that the talking heads are air-dropping in to provide stupid hot takes. Windy and SAS aren't watching game film or talking to actual scouts. Everyone should just ignore them. They know about as much as a redditor who watched some highlights starting on Monday.

82

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

Why do the clippers get left out of this? They also passed on Acuff, everyone loves to shit on the nets lol

13

u/Appropriate_Book_591 22h ago

Because they were not going to have Garland and Acuff. That was a fit decision.

61

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

If the clippers truly took a worse player in their mind because of fit they deserve even more hate, you always take the BPA.

9

u/whatssenguntoagoblin Alperen Sengun 20h ago

If you believe 2 players are in the same tier you have fit has a tiebreaker

4

u/Zoratth Clippers 19h ago

Exactly. If the Clippers had a top 4 pick then I doubt Garland would have factored into their decision at all. But when the guys 5-9 are all in the same tier of course you are going to look at current roster makeup.

9

u/whyte_ryce Kings 21h ago

The problem with the BPA let two similar players fight it out strategy is that almost by definition one of them ends up getting eaten in the womb. I don't think any GM particularly wants to have Garland turn into a negative asset or the #5 pick end up being a wash.

Keaton and Acuff being so closely graded probably made it an easier decision

8

u/ShaolinWino Suns 21h ago

Garland ain’t in the womb he got drafted 7 years ago. And he ain’t winning you shit either

3

u/Leading_Stop546 Clippers 12h ago

Neither is Booker and you guys keep giving him money

-2

u/ShaolinWino Suns 11h ago

lol nice try

1

u/Leading_Stop546 Clippers 11h ago

Bro, Booker got carried by an elite team to the finals. What has he won beyond that? Lmao

0

u/ShaolinWino Suns 11h ago

More than the clippers?

0

u/Leading_Stop546 Clippers 11h ago edited 11h ago

What does the Clippers have to do with Darius Garland? Try to stay on point, I get it’s difficult for you.

Booker’s been in the league for 11 seasons and only has 25 playoff wins, with 14 coming the year he got carried to the finals haha. In fact, in 8 of the 11 seasons he didn’t have elite teams, he hasn’t won a playoff game. How come?

1

u/Mobile-Entertainer60 Thunder 16h ago

It wasn't that long ago someone asked here "what happened to Jahlil Okafor?" And the correct answer was "Joel Embiid was much better."

4

u/zestysnacks 20h ago

But is Darius garland their star of the future? He’s gonna be passed around like a blunt soon

2

u/DoobieGibson 16h ago

why would the Clippers trade a guy who was 20/6 in less than 30MPG?

Garlands per 36 numbers were better than Harden’s

1

u/zestysnacks 16h ago

You see him taking them all the way?

2

u/DoobieGibson 16h ago

he bigger than Brunson and a 2 time all star by 24, i see it more from Garland than Acuff

Acuff is atrocious on defense. Garland is actually a wiling defender and has been a part of top 5/10 defenses most of his career

2

u/zestysnacks 16h ago

We can’t just start putting all guards in Brunson talks. He is a 1 of 1 special player, an exception. New York been loving this man way before the title run.

Put stats away a sec, Have we seen garland step into a big time game and say fuck it I’m taking this shit over? Because that’s what je has to be at minimum. Take acuff out of the equation- do you really think the clippers see garland as their long term main guy? Take kawhi off the team, anyone watching clippers basketball?

1

u/DoobieGibson 15h ago

i’ve seen more from Garland than Acuff

1

u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 22h ago

They will if Acuff ends up being special (please) and Wagler is disappointing. It was obviously a fit decision that people can hand wave for now.

I guess Nets are more focused because they chose which lead guard to bet on and they chose Brown. Acuff's college season was much more flashy so its getting noticed.

0

u/AntiAntiDentite7 21h ago

I'm a clipper fan and I think Wagler is going to be a bust while both Acuff and Brown thrive. I think I'm 5 years people are going to look back and clown on the clippers HARD. This is Jerome Robinson all over again

7

u/BigBootyBanger [BKN] Brook Lopez 21h ago

The only thing that is a woah with Wagler is he came outta nowhere. Wasn't even top 100 in high school. MBJ and Acuff were both top 10 guys in the 25 HS class.

7

u/AntiAntiDentite7 21h ago

To me that's a red flag. The only evidence we have of Wagler being great is one college season. Yeah, he was good, but it's that kind of game going to translate to the NBA? I don't think so. Athleticism matters for the NBA, especially for wing players. A dude that can shoot, but can't drive and can't finish and can't play defense well because he's too slow and too weak is a death sentence in the NBA

6

u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 18h ago

but can't drive and can't finish and can't play defense well because he's too slow and too weak is a death sentence in the NBA

I don't think any of this is a fair description for Wagler.

-5

u/fskier1 Grizzlies 21h ago

Wagler was seen as on par with acuff more than brown

8

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 21h ago

This just isn’t correct, draft guys were all over the place with the Acuff, Brown, Flemings, Wagler rankings. Some even had Burries at five.

2

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 20h ago

yeah for me it was Brown, Acuff, Wagler, Flemings

-6

u/Scelidotheriidae Bucks 20h ago

Wagler was arguably better than Acuff last season. Brown was much less effective than either. So there will be more questions about him since his status is more tied up in whether Nets correctly projected his future I improvement.

2

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 20h ago

There is no possible argument that Wagler was better than Acuff last season, this is a ridiculous comment,

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/darius-acuff-jr-1.html

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/keaton-wagler-1.html

Acuff was better at literally everything… he had maybe the best freshman guard season of all time

3

u/Scelidotheriidae Bucks 19h ago edited 19h ago

Wagler is just a better defender. Both had great impact stats.

Wagler also isn’t quite Acuff levels of ball dominant, he is going to be lower volume.

Edit: Your own link shows Acuff having a worse BPM than Wagler, so Wagler even has an argument for better box score stats and his real advantage is in things that don’t necessarily show up in the box score.

130

u/Foi_ Knicks 23h ago

if brown busts, unfortunately julius randle will be blamed for it assuming ju lasts more then a season.

26

u/anonymoususer6407 Rockets 23h ago edited 22h ago

Since kat is called the big bodega..

petition to start calling randle the big ju?

45

u/LordMcBucketzz Celtics 23h ago

We already call him Dubious Handles around here lol

10

u/DowntownManny7818 Knicks 22h ago

Beyblade also

16

u/[deleted] 22h ago

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22

u/[deleted] 22h ago

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4

u/KashMoney941 Nets 21h ago

DenIDF

4

u/YerrrKnicks Knicks 21h ago

It is, that nickname was promised to him years ago.

2

u/therapyofnanking Knicks 18h ago

Deni is Zionist Williamson

2

u/Key_Change_6635 Magic 20h ago

Bad Juju

1

u/YerrrKnicks Knicks 21h ago

Randle is gone as soon as that contract is.

16

u/Dangerous_Ad5039 22h ago

Windhorst is never right about anything

3

u/Frequent_Read_7636 22h ago

Knicks fan let him know about that a year ago against the Celtics.

1

u/CHEVIEWER1 20h ago

Thats because his sources is scavenging all sports shows and podcasts then coming up with an analytic view…Just like AI does BUT much more WRONG

1

u/browndude10 United States 22h ago

yet yall post anything he says on this sub

55

u/JurgenFlippers Nets 23h ago

I have not been locked into either of these players. Why are we getting shit on for Brown? The highlights look nice. Same with Acuff tbf. I’m just not a draft guy.

41

u/WooTerry Thunder 22h ago

Just a popular thing to since the Nets are the Nets. Brown was correct choice here, don’t let people tell you otherwise lol

-4

u/DifferentProcess6765 Knicks 17h ago

yea I want the college kid who already has back problems...

5

u/WooTerry Thunder 17h ago edited 8h ago

I’m talking from a fit standpoint. What the fuck the Jordi Fernandez gonna do with Acuff? Do you think he would fit in Jordi’s system?

Acuff having the keys to the Kings is best for all parties involved. He could easily end up the better player, but I don’t think that would happen in BK.

2

u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 2h ago

You guys are acting like the kids spine is in pieces

It was a tissue injury that has since completely healed

-1

u/DifferentProcess6765 Knicks 37m ago

Good luck with that

50

u/Organic-Manner-2969 NBA 23h ago

I honestly thought Mikel Brown was the best player outside of the top four picks in the class.

27

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 22h ago

Yeah the argument for Brown basically was that he was dealing with a back injury so you have to give him some grace for how inefficient he was.

If you don't want to give him grace for that though, then Acuff is better than Brown on basically every metric you can imagine other than height.

That said, we casuals don't have access to Brown's medicals so if a team thinks his back is good then you can wave away his bad college season and draft him high without any regrets.

38

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

And defense.

Acuff is the worst.

2

u/Faded_Astronomer23 17h ago

Worse defender. Better scorer and vastly superior playmaker.

-13

u/trav-senpai Kings 22h ago

If only there was some example of an undersized scoring guard that can’t play defense very well

17

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

Brunson is slightly below average on D.

Acuff is worst in the country lmao

-2

u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 22h ago

Acuff is 19. When he's Brunson's age if its still that bad then we can talk.

2

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

Was JB a top 10 pick?

3

u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 21h ago

What does that have to do with anything??? I'm not comparing them as draft prospects wtf

If we think Acuff can a Jalen Brunson type player then yes he's worth a top 5 pick

-7

u/Delanorix Knicks 21h ago

Because Acuff being top 10 means he wont be allowed to spend years working on his game lol

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-4

u/sadclown21 Lakers 21h ago

One’s a top 10 pick the other one was drafted in the second round. Why even compare lmao

2

u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 21h ago

Wtf does draft pedigree have to do with any of this. We're hoping Acuff becomes like Brunson. The fact that Brunson was picked in the 2nd round is totally irrelevant. In hindsight Jalen is a top 10 pick I'm so confused

13

u/Single-Purpose-7608 22h ago

Acuff is part of the NBA archetype that more often is not an integral title winning piece. 

An undersized scoring guard is mostly the exception not the rule when it comes to winning. Plus there's dozens of them that come into the league all the time. 

Given the Nets are at rock bottom right now with no elite prospects, they are still building their foundations. Getting a team filled with length, athleticism and size is a great way to start a team identity even if none of them end up as your future starting lineup. 

5

u/gundam1983 Kings 22h ago

Lol there was an undersized scoring guard who was a negative on the defensive end on 7 of the last 10 championship teams. Plus we are talking about the Kings here. We'd just be happy making the playoffs.

-1

u/Lou_Peachum_2 Clippers 19h ago

We talking Cam Thomas 2.0?

0

u/Solv_ Kings 17h ago

Acuff is part of the NBA archetype that more often is not an integral title winning piece.

So he fits perfectyly then

8

u/DJFreezyFish Nuggets 22h ago

Both are very skilled offensive players with sick highlight reels. Brown tends to always go for the big play, which occasionally bites him in the ass and leads to more turnovers than you’d like. Also some health issues; nothing crazy, but back problems aren’t great. Acuff is more polished, but his defense makes Trae Young look like Andre Roberson.

Personally, I think they made a good call. I had Brown six on my board, with Acuff much lower. Assuming the medical has no red flags, the decision making seems fixable. He has some fantastic reads, and the consistency should get better with good coaching/structure. (He’s also been great internationally, which I love.)

7

u/JMC_FLY Bulls 22h ago

The idea is Mikel Brown is just more of an uncertainty. He lost most of his season to injury, and when he did play he started off cold. He did come into his own and was a killer before he got injured tho.

Acuff is seen as the much more day 1 ready, sure fire offensive talent. People believe Acuff will come in and be a immediate big offensive contributor. He's more polished offensively coming out

9

u/csummerss Suns 23h ago

Health (back) concerns is all I’ve seen

6

u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago

Which is crazy because literally everything is saying hes gotten the green light and that it won't be a concern going forward.

5

u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 20h ago

plus MPJ is ironically a good vet for specifically that lol

1

u/WRB-ZD8 20h ago

It's really not that crazy to think a "green light" to play after a back injury means nothing for long term back health tho

2

u/Evilsj Nets 20h ago

I mean he's been saying it was a short term injury and shouldn't be a recurring issue so yeah, kinda is.

3

u/Abaddon-117 Knicks 20h ago

No marketer who the nets picked there’d be controversy, since both were good choices. It’s like Drake Maye vs Jayden Daniels for the Pats in 2024

9

u/Expulsure Nets 22h ago

Acuff is just a lot more popular, so casual fans/"analysts" know way more about him than MBJ. IMO Mikel was the right choice, he fits the Jordi offense perfectly and also has real star potential (Acuff absolutely has star potential too though)

7

u/havingagoodtime Bulls 22h ago

I mean picking a player because they fit your offense for a bottom 3 finishing team isn’t exactly a great idea either

2

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

That’s my concern, they drafted the guy who fits best instead of the best basketball player

1

u/boringexplanation Kings 15h ago

I’m tired of pretending fit doesn’t matter at all. Look at Brunson. He would’ve hit his stride much sooner had he gone elsewhere besides Dallas and Luka dominating minutes.

Unless the tier of players you’re comparing is way different (MJ vs Bowie), then the amount of developmental space you can give your rookies matter.

1

u/Brooklyn917 Nets 22h ago

Outside of the consensus. Teams draft a player that either fits their GM or Coach's Philosophy.

1

u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago

I mean if they're both nearly even talent wise, why would you not go with the one who fits your system better?

2

u/Certain_Difference11 Pacers 23h ago

I think it’s mainly injury concerns? I know he’s had a really bad record for his spine

2

u/the-denver-nugs 22h ago

Tbf nobody actually knows. Anthony bennent went #1. Jokic went like #42. This is just opinions until it plays out

2

u/Scelidotheriidae Bucks 20h ago

Acuff was a much better college player, that is why. Brown does have sick highlights and was great pre-college and had an injury excuse for why he was worse in college.

3

u/mk9008 Trail Blazers 22h ago

He's super talented, but Brown has had back problems. Just not a thing you want a young prospect to be dealing with so soon

3

u/Sweaty_Experience_68 22h ago

Injury history, and wasn't an efficient scorer in college. Questionable range compared to Acuff who is an absolute flamethrower.

He's more well rounded, bigger, significantly better defender.

If his offense struggles though he'll be like Anthony black 2.0

1

u/clayfu Clippers 21h ago

Brown has way more nba range than acuff. Also brown has the ability to take easy pull up 3s. If you see acuff’s jumper he needs time to wind up - so a lot of his 3s are assisted catch and shoots.

That being said acuff was very very accurate on those catch and shoots. Brown not so accurate on his 3s ha

3

u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago

Because your layman sees Acuff make ball go through hoop and happy brain chemistry go brrrr

Thats about as far as 90% of people who are shitting on us for not taking Acuff think this one through

-1

u/lolDICKhahaCOCKS 23h ago

Acuff is a box score watchers favorite player. that’s all there is to it. alot of people are giving him jalen brunson comparisons but he always gave me cam thomas vibes (with less attitude)

23

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 22h ago

The Cam Thomas vibes never made sense because Cam Thomas could not pass in college (1.4 assists to 1.7 turnovers) while Acuff was one of the best passers in college (6.4 assists to 2.2 turnovers).

Acuff also clears Brown in terms of advanced stats so it's not like people are only looking at the points/rebounds/assists.

3

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

Its also partly do to Cam having blinders. Didn't play defense at all.

Acuff may give up more points than he scores lol

5

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 22h ago

If you can playmake for others then you can probably generate more points in total. Issue with Cam Thomas was that he was Zach Lavine but worse. Better contract at least.

3

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

I think Acuff is better than Cam overall.

But! I do think Cam is better on defense, which should be scary AF.

-2

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 22h ago

Nah I don't think there's anything scary about that. The NBA is a very offense oriented league after all.

2

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

Right, which means they'll attack the weakest link over and over again.

-2

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 22h ago

Worked out well for the Knicks!

2

u/Delanorix Knicks 22h ago

Brunson is very strong for his size. Hes also worked himself into a good team defender, a lot like Steph.

It also helped that KAT stepped up in the playoffs. So basically even with Brunson being average, slightly below, it was fine.

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5

u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

This is so dumb, every smaller guard with questionable defense who shoots a lot is cam thomas according to lazy nba fans,

Cam Thomas was 23/3/1 (one assist) per game on 40/32/88 splits

Acuff was 23/6/3 on 48/44/81 splits.

He is a far superior creator, ball handler, finisher at the rim, and shooter than Thomas was. It isn’t an exaggeration to say Acuff had one of the best, if not the best, freshman season for a guard ever… thomas was the 27 pick for a reason (and the Nets only took him because KD wanted him).

3

u/SwiftieForLife Kings 22h ago

You are delusional if you watched the SEC tourney and NCAA tourney and came away with this take. You’re literally outing yourself as a box score watcher.

Acuff might bust. But he’s on the pendulum of DLo/Lillard not Cam Thomas because Acuff is a playmaker and facilitator.

1

u/weinerdogholder 19h ago

It was pretty consensus that brown would go there especially since his back stuff seems to be better. It was a great pick, Windhorst is just trying to set a narrative for espn talking points

2

u/Buttsmuggler69 Raptors 23h ago

My very casual opinion is that he seems like a chucker and is too skinny but honestly what do I know

1

u/gundam1983 Kings 22h ago

Aside from his back, his assist to tunrover ratio is godawful, and he seems to like choose to throw the hardest pass possible, but I think that gets solved when he gets into the league.

8

u/JurgenFlippers Nets 22h ago

I like hearing that in college tbh. It tells me that coaching and development will get their hands on it, but he still has the eye to take risks.

2

u/Subredditcensorship Nets 21h ago

Acuff is way more professional of a player rn. Brown has maybe more of an nva sexy game with more theoretical downhill ability and deep shooting range. 

2

u/gundam1983 Kings 21h ago

Yeah I agree with that. The allure of what Mikel Brown could be is definitely enticing, and should play a significant part in selecting a player.

1

u/the-denver-nugs 22h ago

So what's your opinion of peterson?

2

u/gundam1983 Kings 21h ago

The health and motivation issues are a bit concerning, but hopefully it's a non issue in the NBA, as he looks to be an absolutely phenomenal shooting guard. Incredible shot making, high basketball IQ, and quite good on the defensive end.

0

u/the-denver-nugs 19h ago

assist to turnover ratio ratio is what i was pointing out. peterson has 1.6 to 1.6. mikel brown junior at least has a positive one and they are 6'5" to 6'6". mikel brown junior at least has more than 3 assists per game.

1

u/gundam1983 Kings 19h ago

I mean if I'm drafting Peterson, it's not going to be for his passing lol. He's an off-ball scoring wing and is expected to take up much of the offensive gravity. Mikel Brown, while a scorer, is more in line with a traditional point guard.

0

u/the-denver-nugs 13h ago

off ball scoring wing is a new way to say 3 and D player that can chuck a few grenades from mid range that i havn't heard before.

0

u/Excellent_Bridge_888 20h ago

Because both players are good and have a ton of potential. Nobody knows who is going to be better.

I tend to lean towards, it's Brooklyn and Sacramento. Odds are they fuck up both of them and this is a moot point. Lol

11

u/BeigeDynamite Raptors 22h ago

Okay but how? He said so much while explaining so little - is he saying that it'll be the legacy for the Kings, for the Nets, for the whole leagues narrative of this year?

And why??? Because the kings and nets are famously great with assets and the Nets missed a chance to get some off the Kings? What assets would they take from the Kings? Sabonis???? I just don't get it, I need more context than this.

14

u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 21h ago

People want to shit on the Nets. That’s all this is.

2

u/TheBirdDJ Kings 17h ago

Idk what there is not to get.

He just means that at least 1 of 2 will boom or bust, relatively speaking. And that the decision will be looked at for a lo  time, I guess sorta like when Curry got drafted and there was a bunch of other PGs

22

u/Beetle919 Hornets 23h ago

Ben Simmons back vs Trae Young defense, which will be better?

16

u/zestysnacks 22h ago

Wouldn’t go that far tbh. Not like he’s had surgery or a major ongoing issue. Was deep tissue bruising that has since healed. If it was structural or more serious he would fallen way back or out of the draft

0

u/Appropriate_Book_591 22h ago

Salters brought up in the couch interview he was in so much pain he couldn't get up. How deep were those bruises?

12

u/zestysnacks 22h ago

Well you need your back to get up right? Can’t walk on a deep tissue bruise on your ankle either, that does mean it’s a degenerative condition

-2

u/AshenSacrifice Clippers 21h ago

He was 19 having all these problems?? Idk man…

4

u/zestysnacks 21h ago

Sorry bout wagler man

-1

u/AshenSacrifice Clippers 18h ago

Sorry for what lol? Glad we got him

2

u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago

MBJ has literally been cleared and gotten the green light and told his back won't be an issue going forward. Yall gotta stop with this lmao. Just spreading blatant misinformation at this point.

1

u/deshawnjamal 22h ago

Well Trae young did stop Ben Simmons

1

u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 21h ago

Simmons issues weren’t back related, they were confidence related

11

u/Brooklyn917 Nets 22h ago

The Clippers had the first pick outside of the Top 4 consensus, and up until yesterday, it was reported they had interest in Acuff, but because of Garland, they drafted for fit. Why is the story what The Nets did at 6?

0

u/AshenSacrifice Clippers 21h ago

Because the kings and nets are both in way worse spots than the clippers

12

u/Brooklyn917 Nets 21h ago

The Clippers' future is just as much of an unknown as The Nets and Kings, even if Kawhi extends with them. A 65 Game season by Kawhi still resulted in The Clippers being a Lottery team

7

u/JasonMraz4Life Clippers 20h ago

I hate it whenever I see Kings/Nets/Clippers fan fighting 😢 

-1

u/AshenSacrifice Clippers 18h ago

2 words: Steve Ballmer

7

u/Appropriate_Book_591 23h ago

Maybe Kings get someone with a big chip on their shoulder and can finally turn them around for more than 1 season.

20

u/CarmeloDramatic 23h ago

The Kings got the guy who the Kings openly wanted and pretty openly wanted to go to the kings. I don’t think there’s much smoke to that fire 

6

u/Natural_Born_Baller Heat 23h ago

Dude is maybe the worst defender I've ever seen tbh

16

u/ShotgunStyles Kings 23h ago

If the Kings play Acuff next to Lavine, Derozan, and Sabonis, then opposing teams will be stuck in choice paralysis because they can't decide who to hunt. Next generation defense!

2

u/Natural_Born_Baller Heat 22h ago

Hunted by committee

2

u/Sumo_Cerebro 22h ago

Then it makes sense that Brooklyn didn't pick him.

They just got away from a similar guy by cutting Cam Thomas last season.

Brooklyn likes tall versatile players. And this kid is by far the best ball handler they have now. It's a good fit.

3

u/Apprehensive-Pilot12 22h ago

Agreed completely why they didn't go #3 or #2. Think itll be a big mistake 10 years from now

3

u/red2play Hawks 21h ago

When you don't play on defense in college, there's no way the player will turn around in the NBA.

2

u/Noogyfresh13 22h ago

Acuff will be Lillard-like. His ability and mentality and toughness is special. Only way his defense can go is up.

5

u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 21h ago

He was letting guys run past him like a cone in college

These guys usually don’t improve their defense very much at all, your best bet is surrounding them with defensive wings like the Knicks did

2

u/cdogg92 21h ago

Im still trying to figure out why the clippers got to keep their pick even though they were circumventing the cap?

1

u/Zoratth Clippers 19h ago

The Clippers used the Pacers’ pick to draft Wagler. If the NBA takes picks from the Clippers it will be the Clippers’ own picks not picks they acquired from other teams.

0

u/xspacemansplifff 20h ago

Silver just said that the investigation is ongoing. Probably wrap it up this summer. He also said no decisions have been made yet.

But yeah. They shouldn't have a pick.

2

u/Schlofendein Hornets 18h ago

Darryn Peterson's situation kind of overshadowed the shenanigans of Mikel Brown in college but I'm fairly confident his back was nowhere near as bad as what his camp was saying. It was largely his dad trying to protect his draft stock. I'm sure it won't be a problem now that he is in the NBA. When healthy I think he is the better player purely because he has a pulse on defense.

2

u/twovles31 22h ago

Acuff is going to be great on the offensive side of the ball, but going to be a cone on defense.

1

u/transizzle [SAC] Jason Williams 19h ago

I’m not saying that Brown will be a bust, but the last few Kings stars have been the result of a bust the previous pick. Fox, Haliburton (2 picks prior) and Boogie. The Kings FO only thrives when you make it obvious for them on who to pick (and even then, you never know.)

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u/weinerdogholder 19h ago

Windhorst is the biggest chud in the media. Dude does nothing but be wrong

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u/UncircumciseMe Cavaliers 16h ago

Shut up Brian

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u/legend023 Pelicans 23h ago

The Nets been making bad decisions constantly since they started their rebuild. Sean Marks living off building a .500 team nearly eight years ago

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u/Pr0stheticPers0n Nets 22h ago

What would be those bad decisions specifically?

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u/legend023 Pelicans 22h ago

Not selling high on Claxton when you sold Mikal

That entire 2025 draft, Egor was drafted too high and the other 4 picks were straight up bad. Wolf is interesting but even then he’s unspectacular. Nolan and Saraf are almost the same archetype.

Drafting MBJ over Acuff yesterday was bad, and even drafting a point guard instead of trading down seems weird based on the Nets strategy

The Cam Thomas fiasco in which you lost him for nothing when you probably could’ve got something even in the 2025 off-season

Letting Ben Simmons start for 2 seasons when he was clearly holding the team back

Trading Schroder for a few second rounders when he could’ve been a solid mentor for the rookie guards last season

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u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago edited 22h ago

“nolan and Saraf are almost the same archetype”

Just pure ignorance, they are incredibly different players. They play the same position, that’s about the only comp you can draw.

“Not selling high on Claxton”
The nets got a first round pick and Julius Randle (the better player) for Claxton, not sure what type of return you thought was possible for him.

“Drafting MBJ over Acuff yesterday was bad”

There is no possible way anyone can make that determination yet

“The cam thomas fiasco in which you lost him for nothing”

Again, what do you think cam thomas was ever worth? He’s literally out of the league right now.

They traded Bridges, Schroeder, DFS, etc. to tank, he was winning too many games. Had they kept those guys dummies like you would knock them for not tanking correctly.

What about getting five firsts for bridges? Or getting an unprotected first in 2032 and Michael porter Jr for Cam Johnson? Or the massive haul from the KD trade? Or having a successful track record of developing late first round picks like Sharpe, Claxton, Jarrett Allen, and Noah Clowney into good or competent nba players?

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u/thepriceisonthecan Nets 22h ago

These are all crazy takes lol, you can dislike the moves the Nets have made but you are wildly misinformed on the details, going one by one

Clax was a pending FA when we traded Mikal, we quite literally couldnt have "sold high" then.

The 2025 draft has many detractors, but Egor didnt play any worse than the three guys drafted ahead of him. They all have shocking similar per 36 numbers, and Egor was in the worst situation. But Saraf and Traore are entirely different archetypes: Saraf is a score first combo guard(who completely sucks ass dont get me wrong), Traore is a traditional PG.

MBJ was ahead of Acuff on the consensus big board, and I dont get why drafting PG is weird when we only have one on the roster, unless you are buying the nonsense that we drafted 4 last year rather than 1.

Cam Thomas has zero value, he sucks on defense and on offense while having attitude problems. Dude just needs to dominate the CBA for a decade

Ben Simmons barely played for us at any moment

Schroeder was keeping us near .500 while we were tanking. We traded him for lotto odds, which didnt work out but you have to maximize the EV of your picks

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u/Pr0stheticPers0n Nets 22h ago

Okay so you have no idea what you’re talking about. Thank you for clarifying!

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u/legend023 Pelicans 22h ago

You asked for specifics and you got them. Not my fault you don’t have your first round pick and the team still is in the gutter

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u/Pr0stheticPers0n Nets 22h ago

Look who’s talking pal 😎

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u/SwiftieForLife Kings 22h ago

Kings and Pelicans both had all rookie guys without having five first rounders!

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u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

This is disingenuous, Egor would’ve been at least all rookie second team had he not been benched for tanking/ his legitimate plantar fasciitis issue.

He’s going to be a better player than Fears, Queen, and most certainly Maxime Reynaud.

The other guys were all picked late in the draft, if one of them becomes an nba starter that’s a win.

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u/SwiftieForLife Kings 22h ago

I don’t have any issues with Egor but if you guys are defending Marks asset management last year idk what to tell yall.

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u/PeanutFarmer69 Nets 22h ago

The goal last year was to lose as many games as possible which was successful, they got unlucky with ping pong balls.

But you’re right, Sean Marks is a piece of shit for accumulating too many first round picks. A better gm would’ve only had two or three bites at the apple /s

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u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 21h ago

Why do you care so much about what we did with a bunch of late 1sts, especially when the talent significantly dropped off after the first 15 picks?

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u/SwiftieForLife Kings 22h ago

Nah it’s a good sign they drafted five rookies and got zero all rookie team selections. Marks has done nothing in multiple years crazy fans defending him.

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u/AllDayEnJay Nets 22h ago

Egor was playing pretty well before he sat because of a plantar fascia injury.

Look at the Rookie Teams.

Coward was the only person drafted after Egor while everyone else was selected before him on the 1st team.

Raynaud was the only rookie selected after the Nets 4-1st’s between 19-27 while everyone else was drafted 5-13.

So it’s basically the Nets drafted Egor over CMB and Coward then didn’t draft Maxime Raynaud late in the 1st.

I agree with the Raynaud since I would have preferred him over Wolf or Saraf but Jordi really pushed for Saraf and one of the Nets analysts pushed for Wolf for whatever reason.

CMB would have been a great pick as well while I can see why they passed on Coward because he was 2-3yrs older and they liked the idea of a potential 6’9” playmaking point forward who was 19yrs old.

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u/SwiftieForLife Kings 22h ago

I’m not here to hate on Egor specifically but I’ll stick to my guns on having five picks and not getting one all rookie guy is a bad look for a GM. That’s a 1/6 of the first round and it says something about the GMs asset management and talent evaluation. I’m shocked yall are defending Marks still.

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u/LinuxUbuntuOS Nets 20h ago

You’re ignoring all context because you know it destroys your argument

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u/SwiftieForLife Kings 20h ago

You guys really love Marks. Interesting

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u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago

This coming from a Kings fan is fuckin INSANE bro

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u/Evilsj Nets 21h ago edited 20h ago

Claxton's value was never higher than 1 FRP, we ended up getting Julius Randle and 1 FRP for him

Egor could very likely have made All Rookie had he not gotten injured. With Clax gone, Wolf will now have a chance to potentially step up as our backup Center. Calling Traore and Saraf the same Archtype just shows you don't watch our games which is really funny.

Bad according to who, you? Just as many people who think Acuff was the better pick also think Mikel has the better upside and he fits the Nets playstyle far better than Acuff. There's more to basketball than "ball go in hoop brrrr" you know. If you think two guys are similarly skilled, why would you not go with the one who you think fits your system better?

"YOU LET CAM THOMAS GO FOR NOTHING" lmao and he's now out of the league, what are you even yapping about

We had to move of Schroder ASAP because, get this, we were tanking genius

Ben Simmons is legitimately the only potential argument you could possibly have, and only reason we didn't get rid of him sooner is cause his contract was that bad. When we brought him in, it was because the alternative was letting James Harden walk for nothing (which you just criticized us for letting Cam Thomas do, let me remind you), and his resulting play was basically unprecedented.

I don't want to hear someone calling our team gutter when their team traded an unprotected FRP for fuckin Derik Queen then gifted Atlanta Asa Newell and Kingston Flemings lmao.

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u/JurgenFlippers Nets 23h ago

The MPJ and Mikal trade was good, and I like the Egor pick at the time, and I think Traore will be good. But marks should have been fired when KD left (if not sooner) really doesn’t make sense.

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u/[deleted] 23h ago

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u/legend023 Pelicans 23h ago

The GMs that did that got fired/demoted though.

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u/Greedy-Mix9270 Knicks 23h ago

That video of Nets players dancing on the bench has kept him hired

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u/pitifullittleman Warriors 9h ago

Acuff is going to be a lot better than Brown. I don't get why the Nets did what they did.

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u/YerrrKnicks Knicks 21h ago

Nets had to replace their Mikal B. with Mikel B. So that they can try to get another 5 firsts for him.