Brooklyn continues to sort through frontcourt options. But is Allen Graves of Santa Clara capable of going from mid-major talent to star pro?
The Brooklyn Nets can pluck from the power conference realm via the NBA Draft to build back their roster.
Or turn to mid-major talent.
NetsRoundtable has rolled out potential prospects for the entire month of April. Names like Keaton Wagler of Illinois, Darryn Peterson of Kansas and Cameron Boozer of Duke are rising as possibilities.
But now it's time to look closer at non-power conference talent...a la Allen Graves of Santa Clara.
Point Guard to 'Point Forward'
Graves at one time manned point guard before his arrival to the Broncos.
That came before he grew to at least 6-foot-9.
But the PG skills remain, as he shows comfort in handling the open floor and initiating the Broncos' offense throughout the season.
He shows excellent control of the basketball combined with tremendous court vision. He's unhesitant to dish the ball out the moment he sees a defensive lapse.
Floor Spacer and Scorer
Graves walks into the draft as one of the more consistent shooters in the nation, converting 51.7% from the field.
He takes advantage of the spacing on the floor and knocks down 41.6% from behind the arc. The he displays a smooth, repeatable release with confidence through both spotting up and stepping into shots.
But he's mobile enough to blow past defenders while maintaining strong handles for the ball. He hits defenders with fluid lateral quickness to get to the hoop.
Explosive Athlete?
Graves doesn't possess the rim attacking nature of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or the any of the aforementioned Nets draft targets. He looks limited on the speed aspect.
But his game is built more on playing with coordination, ball control and timing. Especially in both the low and high post.
He brings those said traits to the defensive side too while matching it with smarts on the floor. He's capable of impacting the game without needing the ball constantly and can impact from a metrics standpoint.
Areas of Concern
While Graves showed impressive growth from his past PG frame, he's still developing physically.
But there's one more area to bring up as a big concern: He came off the bench mostly, plus faced lesser competition despite battling two March Madness teams in the same conference (Gonzaga and Saint Mary's). He didn't always face Power Conference foes.
Even when he did, he only scored 10 points against Xavier and 17 versus Kentucky, the latter not until the NCAA Tournament. Scouts will wonder if the level of competition is translatable for him.
Again, he lacks ideal explosiveness which raises questions on if he can dominate nightly in the league. His cerebral side, passing and unselfish play is garnering attention pre-draft.
Are Nets a Fit?
Santa Clara is riding a sudden pro wave thanks to Steve Nash and Jalen Williams thriving as past Broncos.
Graves looks like the next best prospect. But he must find the right fit to thrive.
Sure, head coach Jordi Fernandez will love his facilitator side and smarts on both sides of the floor. But the Nets look like they need more of a scorer to take pressure off the frontcourt.
He's only a fit if he falls into the early second round. But some project he can sneak inside the bottom of the first.
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