The Brooklyn first-rounder adds elite honors to his resume after orchestrating the Cyclones' high-octane offense. The versatile big man now brings his unique playmaking to the Nets.
At the end of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft last month, the Brooklyn Nets drafted standout Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson with the No. 28 overall pick, adding one of the most unique players in the class to the roster.
Originally, the Nets would have had to wait until the second round to land Jefferson, but moved back into the first through the Julius Randle deal.
Despite not being invited to the NBA's Green Room, Jefferson still went to the draft in person, saying that he "knew somebody would take a chance" on him.
Jefferson, who was a consensus Second Team All-American last season, averaged 16.4 points per game, while leading the Cyclones in rebounding (7.4) and finishing just shy of the team-lead for assists (4.8).
At the end of June, Jefferson added another honor to his name, earning the Gary Thompson Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year from his former university.
"Jefferson is the 18th Iowa State Men's Basketball player to earn the award, which started in 1947," Iowa State athletics wrote. "The last men's basketball player to earn the award was Monté Morris in 2017, as the program completed a run of having three in four years with Melvin Ejim (2014) and Georges Niang (2016) also winning."
Jefferson was the table setter for Iowa State's high-octane offensive attack, touching the ball nearly every possession and creating open looks for his teammates.
Similar to 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, Jefferson does a lot of his damage and orchestrating from the top of the key and mid-post, making reads and attacking double teams.
Jefferson shined in the Big 12 Tournament, helping lead the Cyclones to the championship game, but fell just short to Arizona, losing 82-80.
Unfortunately, after making the Big Dance as a No. 2 seed, Jefferson played just three minutes in Iowa State's first round domination before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
However, Jefferson was dominant in the regular season, posting multiple impressive and unique statlines, especially for his position.
In Jefferson's top performance of the season, he recorded a 17-point, 12-assist, and 10-rebound showing, adding four steals and keeping the ball out of harms way with zero giveaways.
This stellar performance helped Iowa State dominate UCF 87-57, catalyzing a 5-game win streak.
On Brooklyn, Jefferson will provide head coach Jordi Fernández with versatility in the front court, as the 6-foot-9 big man can play spurts at the center position.
With center being the main question mark remaining on Brooklyn's roster, using Jefferson as a small-ball five may be the solution.
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