FanSided Network 2018 NBA Mock Draft

The Nets are lacking in size and even more in skilled size. Twenty-year-old Mitchell Robinson, at 6-foot-11 and 230 pounds, could help resolve some of that. He’s a rim protector, something Brooklyn hasn’t had much of lately. He’s a risk in the first round, given he hasn’t played competitlvely in more than a year, but at 20 years old, the Nets get a big-bodied player with room to grow both physically and on the court. Superstar talents generally don’t fall to the penultimate pick of the first round, so a rebuilding club taking on a project is much more low-risk, potentially high-reward.

The Nets tried several centers in 2017-18, starting Tyler Zeller 33 times, rookie Jarrett Allen 31 times and Timofey Mozgov even for 13 starts. Zeller was part of Brooklyn’s most often-used and most successful five-man unit, a group with DeMarre Carroll, Allen Crabbe, Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson that had a net rating of plus-7.9 points per 100 possessions. Allen was part of the only other five-man group to finish with a positive rating (plus 4.2) with Carreoll, Crabbe, Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell. The Nets were in the middle of the pack in blocks at 4.8 per game as a team and this is an area that Robinson can address at some point in his development.

The risk with Robinson is clear – the kid hasn’t played a competitive game since high school in 2017 and in his time away from the game has been focused on skill development, most notably working on his 3-point shooting. He did not participate in any activities at the NBA Combine last month, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and his decision-making since leaving high school does leave some questions about both his maturity and commitment. But at No. 29, the Nets can afford to roll the dice and could come away with a stretch big with a big future.

— Phil Watson

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