Why Nets Should Target 7'2 Wingspan Wings—Recent First-Round Hits Tell the Story

Every NBA franchise has its own criteria it searches for when it goes on the clock at the annual summer draft. Some target intangibles or potential—but a Reddit user may have cracked the code to consistently draft difference-making wings.

User MikeConleyIsLegend compiled a list on the NBA_Draft subreddit of forwards drafted since 2016 who possess a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and the names are striking.

In the last nine years, the following players have been drafted using this formula:

Pascal Siakam (2016), OG Anunoby (2017), Mikal Bridges (2018), Scottie Barnes (2021), Jalen Williams (2022), Bilal Coulibaly (2023).

Of those nine years, six high-impact players have been discovered using the Reddit post's logic—garnering great results.

Obviously, some of the players listed above possess more star power than others, but the Brooklyn Nets would be lucky to have any of them on their current roster.

With the 2025 NBA Draft just six days away, which prospects have this 7-foot-2 wingspan that the Nets could realistically target? Well, there are only two.

Cedric Coward out of Washington State and Rasheer Fleming from Saint Joseph's are the lone players who fit the build.

Coward has been mocked in the middle of the first-round, while Fleming is projected to be taken anywhere from 20-25. Luckily for the Nets, their abundance of draft capital this summer could allow them to take a flier on either prospect in hopes of continuing the trend.

In addition to pick eight, Brooklyn holds picks 19, 26 and 27, and either Coward, Fleming or both should be available when the Nets go on the clock.

The forward room in Kings County is already quite full, featuring Cam Johnson, Ziaire Williams, Jalen Wilson and Noah Clowney—but the addition of Coward or Fleming wouldn't overcrowd it. Johnson has long been rumored to be traded at some point, and Williams is headed for restricted free agency, so the current roster is subject to change.

Obviously, taking a chance on Coward or Fleming doesn't guarantee one will turn into the next Siakam or Bridges, but the data suggests that due to their length, they're more likely to evolve into impact players than not.