Brooklyn Nets' draft strategy remains the same after Hamidou Diallo withdraws
With Hamidou Diallo making his way to Lexington for his first season under Coach John Calipari, the Brooklyn Nets now re-focus their draft strategy on high-upside and potential development projects, milking out the most value for their two first round picks.
We were certainly ready for a none-and-done prospect to make his way in the 2017 NBA Draft. But, after joining Kentucky later in the season, prospect Hamidou Diallo has decided to suit up for the Wildcats that have some NCAA championship aspirations of their own.
The Queens native was certainly an intriguing prospect, making waves at the NBA Draft Combine in which he posted a 44.5″ vertical — second highest in the history of the combine. Diallo certainly showed speed, agility and all the physical tools needed to succeed in the NBA.
But, question marks became a frequent notion around the prospect when it came to his ability to score the basketball.
Adam Zagoria, who has been following many of the down-to-the-wire draft entrants, had this to say on his site ZagsBlog.com about the interest surrounding Diallo as we are now less than a month away from the 2017 NBA Draft.
"While testing the waters without an agent, he had been projected as the No. 35 pick per DraftExpress.com and never got a first round guarantee after working out for Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and the Nets, the source said.
"Brooklyn and Utah were the two teams most serious about selecting him in the first round, but ultimately would not promise before midnight," one source said."
However, one particular gentleman, University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, expressed his excitement about adding Diallo to an already No. 1 recruiting class for 2017.
"I'm really proud of Hami," Calipari said. "He took in all the information, asked a lot of questions, including questions to the NBA teams. I love the fact that he wants to put himself in a better position and help lead this new team to a championship. I can't wait to get him on the court and have all of you fans see what I know. He's a special player and a special person."
On top of that, Diallo's decision to withdraw also comes with no first round guarantees from any NBA team. The Brooklyn Nets, among others, were interested in the prospect, but not enough to guarantee selecting him.
CBS' Matt Norlander had this to say when discussing Diallo's decision-making process.
"By choosing to return to Lexington, Diallo dodges becoming the rare none-and-done in the age of the NBA's age-minimum rule. Diallo's decision comes one year after Thon Maker opted out of his expected route to college and wound up being picked 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks after never playing a game in college hoops. Diallo wouldn't have sniffed the lottery this year, though, and reports are that no team gave him a guarantee that he would be selected in the first round."
What does this mean for the Nets? Well, they certainly liked the raw skill set Diallo brought to the table, but ended up deciding to take a risk on himself and hopefully make some noise this year in Lexington, KY.
If the Nets did in fact decide to take him at No. 22 overall, Diallo would've made $1.7 million. At No. 27, it would've been $1.3 million.
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Diallo is banking on cashing in next year as a surefire lottery prospect. If he does succeed at Kentucky, he'll certainly be in the discussions as a top 10. If not, Diallo may have cost himself some money.
For the Nets, the draft strategy doesn't change. General manager Sean Marks continues to focus on prospects that may be overlooked, giving head coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff some time to truly develop players under a newly focused development system.
Perhaps the Nets could stash players with both picks, having interest in international prospects Rodions Kurucs, Isaiah Hartenstein and Anzejs Pasecniks, among others.
But, the focus remains the same: unearthing prospects with tremendous upside and untapped potential to truly find value in the draft. The Nets may take a swing for the fences, still not having control of their 2018 first round pick. It's partly why the Nets were interested in a raw Diallo.
However, the Queens-native knows showcasing his skills at Kentucky may have teams regretting a late first round guarantee this year if he does light it up for Coach Cal.