After trading back into the first round, the Brooklyn Nets selected Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson, adding offensive firepower and versatility to the front court.
The Brooklyn Nets have added a lot of new faces to the roster this offseason, adding multiple players in free agency and three new rookies through the 2026 NBA Draft.
With their first pick, the Nets added their presumed lead guard of the future, Mikel Brown Jr., before bolstering the front court with Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau.
Brooklyn traded up five spots to move into the first round and acquire Jefferson, who was a consensus All-American at Iowa State.
Jefferson was one of few players who showed up to the draft in person despite not being invited to the green room, saying that he "knew somebody would take a chance" on him.
Brooklyn's front court is a big question mark this upcoming season following the departure of longtime big man Nic Claxton, thrusting Day'Ron Sharpe into his first time full-starter role.
While Jefferson projects more as a four-man, the Nets could definitely experiment with a smaller lineup surrounding the former Cyclone at the five.
At 6-foot-8, 246 pounds, Jefferson has the size and strength to compete with physical bigs on the inside.
But, his offensive skillset is predicated on perimeter scoring and intitiation.
Last season, Jefferson 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).
Jefferson's passing ability and ability to make jump shots forces opposing big men to step out of the paint, setting him up to find open teammates on cuts.
Iowa State frequently ran the offense through Jefferson as an initiator at the top of the key, spacing around him on the perimeter.
With Brooklyn's improved shooting ability, Jefferson would have plenty of space to operate.
Michael Porter Jr. is one player I could see having tremendous success with Jefferson in two-man actions.
Jefferson could fill a Jokić-esque facilitating role that Porter excelled with in Denver, while providing Brown and Egor Dëmin with a trusty pick-and-roll partner.
One area Jefferson will need to improve is defensively, as he can be inconsistent at times due to his offensive usage.
Jefferson is already undersized, so a more physical style of play is needed to counter being shorter than most NBA bigs.
Nevertheless, head coach Jordi Fernández has plenty of options at the four and five positions to see who fits alongside Porter, Brown, Dëmin, and Julius Randle in the starting lineup.
For Jefferson, playing a smart brand of basketball and limiting turnovers will be crucial to his success early on, while continuing to add value as a defender.
