NBA Draft 2015: April Mock Draft -- Brooklyn Nets select Chris McCullough

With the 29th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft . . . the Brooklyn Nets select Chris McCullough from the University of Syracuse. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a classic Billy King reach. This is the end of the first round so it doesn't really matter at this point if he's a reach. Go with a guy who could be worth it, while giving him some more protections as a first rounder. If he's good you have a better chance of keeping him. The Nets are like a lot of clubs out there that have a few good star players, but they just don't look like they have as complete a roster as they would need to actually compete for a championship. At some level you have to build something, and I don't know if the Nets have done that. I wouldn't call McCullough a foundational player. He's not going to be the cornerstone to your franchise. But he is someone who is going to be worth a chance, according to some of the scouts I've talked with. The Nets, in theory, are solid at guard with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Alan Anderson, and Jarret Jack. They are still a team that got bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. I don't think that's the fault of Brook Lopez or Mason Plumlee. I will point fingers at Bojan Bogdanovic and Sergey Karasev, but that could mean something completely different in their respective languages and cultures. Looking at who is on the books for next season the only power forward they have is Thaddeus Young. The guards will stay about the same, the small forwards have room to improve, and the centers are in their prime. I just don't see the Nets being able to easily upgrade the other spots as easily as upgrading the four is. Does that help them get home court in the first round of the East next year? I don't know. But I do know that Chris is a stretch big who can defend, get up there for big dunks, and do a little bit of everything. He's worth throwing the #29 pick at because of his upside. The 6'9 player has a 7'3 wingspan and can get you easy buckets in transition. He's very, dreadfully, skinny though. He could be Jeremy Evans 2.0. Or he could be something we've never seen before. I'd take a chance on an athletic stretch big who blocks shots and throws it down.