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The Brooklyn Nets are still in the midst of their season as they are visiting the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in the hopes of getting back into the winning column. However, at this point of the NBA season, there are multiple events to keep track of, including the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the first round of which begins on Thursday.
Prior to the beginning of the first-round of the NCAA Tournament, Nets Wire covered players that are expected to be drafted or close to it that were playing in those four games, such as Texas guard Tre Johnson. However, with Texas losing in the First Four, Johnson's season, and possibly his college career, is over. That means that there are still guys playing for the chance of winning a national championship along with increasing their draft stock.
As many Nets fans know at this point of the year, the Nets have four picks in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, with their pick being the most valuable by far given that their other three picks are expected to be outside of the lottery. As such, there are players throughout the first round of the Draft that will be in action and therefore, under consideration by Brooklyn. Here are five players to watch out for in the first round:
Cooper Flagg, F, Duke
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This was an obvious choice given how well Flagg has played this season even in comparison to his lofty expectations coming into this season. Flagg is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered during the ACC Tournament, but even if he is unable to play, Duke is one of the favorites to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament and that is due to his teammates as well.
Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma
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Fears is one of the players that the Nets could take a look at if their own pick falls outside of the top-5 as he could be the point guard of the future with the way that he can handle the ball and get to his spots on the floor. Fears is one of the youngest players in college basketball right now and that means that he's still raw as a player, but with Brooklyn just beginning their rebuild, Fears would have plenty of time to learn the ropes.
Derik Queen, C, Maryland
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Queen is an interesting player given that is had one of his best games of the season in a Big Ten Conference Tournament loss to Michigan, a game that seems to have risen Queen's stock by a significant amount. In the beginning of the season, Queen was projected as a player who could sneak into the Lottery, but after his performance against Michigan, it seems like he is firmly in the Lottery with a chance of cracking the top-10. If Brooklyn loses backup center Day'Ron Sharpe in free-agency, or trades away starting center Nic Claxton, Queen would be an interesting player to see grow within head coach Jordi Fernandez's system.
Will Riley, F, Illinois
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Riley is an interesting player for the Nets to consider given that he is projected to go somewhere in the later part of the first round who can score with some intriguing playmaking traits as a 6-foot-8 forward. Does that sound like someone that is already on Brooklyn's roster? Regardless of how similar Riley's profile sounds like sharpshooting forward Cam Johnson, the Illinois forward has a lot riding on his performance in the NCAA Tournament.
Kam Jones, G, Marquette
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Jones is another player that is projected to be selected towards the end of the first-round of the NBA Draft and part of the reason for the rise in his stock is due to what he has shown from a playmaking perspective. One might think that adding Kam Jones would put too many players of the same name on the same team, but this Kam would be the kind of combo guard that could be a replacement for Cam Thomas if he departs Brooklyn in free-agency.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets NBA Draft: 5 players to watch during NCAA Tournament first round
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