2018 NBA Mock Draft: If need were all that mattered

The biggest takeaway from this entire exercise is how badly the league needs wings. This draft shouldn’t prove all that bad populating the position, but it’s not the best in that department, either. The idea that a team like Brooklyn could end up taking Brown shows the powerful need for wing talent of even a young, rebuilding squad like the Nets.

If you’re looking for a story to follow with Brown, it’s his health. A foot injury in January required the sophomore to go under the knife and stole most of his second season at Miami. As was the case with Michigan standout Caris LeVert in the 2016 draft, the Nets could benefit from having the organizational buy-in to take a boom/bust prospect like Brown.

A glance at the Nets’ roster shows why they need a young wing. No one is really untouchable on this team, but LeVert, D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen are the only guys Brooklyn absolutely must retain. LeVert is most intriguing, a long guard with playmaking pizazz, but he’s not defending the best wing scorers in the league. Brown brings the same playmaking upside, but a little more size that might allow him to defend bigger players.

In all likelihood, the Nets will just take whichever player is highest on their board. That’s probably not Brown, but this week, need reigns supreme.