The Brooklyn Nets season ended on Sunday in Toronto with a 136-101 loss to the Raptors. It was a conclusion that placed the the Nets 13th in the Eastern Conference standings at 20-62. Only the Indiana Pacers (19-63) and Washington Wizards (17-65) had a worse record in the 30-team National Basketball Association.
Now, the Nets look ahead to the May 10 NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the spot at which they select a player — barring a trade of the pick — on June 23 at the draft, taking place at the Barclays Center, their home arena. Perhaps that player will change the trajectory of the franchise. If the Nets are lucky enough to land the number one pick, Anicet Dybantsa Jr., better known as AJ, who turned 19 in January, should be the team’s selection. The versatile 6-9 forward led NCAA men’s Division Basketball in scoring this past season as a freshman, averaging 25.5 points. He also grabbed 6.8 rebounds and dished 3.7 assists for Brigham Young University.
Freshman Cameron Boozer, the 2026 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 38 games for the Duke Blue Devils. Another freshman, Darryn Paterson, a 6-6 guard who averaged 20.2 points for the Kansas Jayhawks, and Dybantsa, are viewed by many NBA general managers and talent evaluators as the two potential franchise players in the draft.
The Nets have had the overall No. 1 pick twice. In 1990 and 2000 as the then-New Jersey Nets, taking Derrick Coleman and Kenyon Martin respectively. The Brooklyn Nets entered this season in a transparent state of building from the ground up. They had five rookie first round picks on the roster. The young veterans — 27-year-old Michael Porter Jr.; Nic Claxton (26); and Noah Clowney (21), who has played three seasons — were expected to lead the first-year group and collective squad while making steady individual progress under head coach Jordi Fernandez.
The results were mixed. The 6-10 Porter averaged a career high in points per game at 24.2 but missed 30 games due to various injuries. Claxton (6-9 and 11.7 points), starting at center, was solid, yet at times, appeared destined to be a valuable second unit center. Clowney, playing power forward, had stretches during which he showed the ability to be an effective rotation player, averaging 12.3 points, but shot just 39.6% and rebounded at a low 4.1 per game rate for someone with a long 6-10 frame.
Now. team owner Joseph Tsai has to decide a path forward and whether it will include Fernandez, which it should, and GM Sean Marks, who has been in his current position since 2016. Winning the draft lottery would be a decisive marker.