Fanbo Zeng and Drew Timme Nearly Teamed Up at Gonzaga Before Joining the Nets

Drew Timme enjoyed one of the best four-year careers in recent collegiate basketball history. His dominant run at Gonzaga from 2019-23 resulted in many accolades for the 25-year-old, none potentially more impactful than the opportunity he earned with the Brooklyn Nets. Timme joined Brooklyn's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, eventually playing his way onto the franchise's active roster, earning a multi-year deal.

He also just so happens to possess a unique connection to one of the Nets' under-the-radar additions this summer: Fanbo Zeng. Zeng was the No. 33 prospect in ESPN's 2022 and ultimately committed to Gonzaga over Florida State, Florida, Virginia Tech, and others. Zeng was also attempting to reclassify into the class of 2021, meaning that he and Timme could've shared the floor as Bulldogs for two full seasons at the college level.

Zeng ended up competing with the NBA G League Ignite, opting against teaming up with Timme at Gonzaga and kickstarting his journey to the league. Still, it's hard to imagine that the two didn't muster up some sort of dialogue on a recruit visit. Given how dominant Timme was at the time, pairing him with Zeng had to have been part of Mark Few's vision.

So maybe the two don't already have pre-established chemistry, but they're—at minimum—familiar with each other's game. It's hard to imagine there not being any prior discussions of how the duo could operate on the floor at the same time, something Brooklyn should attempt in preseason.

Both are considered roster spot hopefuls at this point, with Timme owning a substantial leg up on Zeng in that regard, but for argument's sake, let's place them in the same group.

Assuming Zeng, due to his skillset, plays the four while Timme mans the five, the Nets could have a surprising frontcourt duo emerge ahead of the regular season. Their games do complement each other, and if they can produce, Jordi Fernandez may have found some depth behind Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe.

There's obviously a very high chance that Zeng just becomes a low-risk, high-reward experiment that never materializes as a steady rotational piece for Brooklyn entering year two of a complete rebuild. He hasn't seen a real shot in the NBA thus far, but did develop into a star in the CBA.

The potential is there. Perhaps, if he can build on the relationship he may have had while he was a Gonzaga commit, Zeng and Timme could blossom as an underrated frontcourt duo entering the 2025-26 campaign.