2025 NBA Draft: Nets Target Noa Essengue in New Mock

Essengue’s next game in the German league playoffs is on June 4. That can also serve as a chance to catch his teammate Ben Saraf, an Israeli combo guard who has been mentioned as a possibility for either of the Nets’ late first-rounders. 

B/R’s pitch on Essengue arriving to the borough is this: “The Nets have no high-upside prospects on the roster and could be enticed by the draft's second-youngest prospects who can make threes, attack, finish and defend all over.” 

This mock features the Nets selecting Michigan State freshman Jase Richardson at No. 19. Richardson is ultra-efficient, and he answered questions about whether he could maintain his high marks on bigger volume once he joined the Spartans’ starting lineup; however, he’s very small for his position as a 2-guard while having a somewhat complicated NBA outlook. Very few players in the league resemble Richardson, who is the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson. 

Nolan Traoré sliding to No. 26 would likely be a big win for the Nets on draft night. The French point guard has started to outplay his start-of-the-cycle stock drop, showcasing his electric speed, reliable playmaking and budding offense. Traoré, like Essengue, will participate in a pre-draft workout in Treviso, Italy on Wednesday in front of Nets evaluators, per ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater.

No. 27 in B/R’s mock sees Drake Powell walking across the stage in a Nets cap to shake commissioner Adam Silver’s hand. The North Carolina freshman was a five-star recruit prior to his freshman year, but the context under Hubert Davis didn’t do anything to raise his draft stock. The pitch on Powell is that he can defend guards and wings, while tapping into the earlier production he displayed in EYBL and high school action. 

The Nets’ last pick, and their only second-rounder, is Jamir Watkins from Florida State. He recently participated in the NBA Draft Combine’s scrimmages, impressing with his defensive toughness and connective playmaking. Watkins shouldered a massive role for his college team this season, but profiles as much more of an off-ball player in the NBA.

The 2025 draft is June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center. Brooklyn will pick at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36, but could be active in the trade market around draft time.