The Brooklyn Nets want to have three point guards on their roster, which means there’s a good chance they’ll be using their only pick in this draft (at 22) on one, and the best that possibly will be available at this point is Shane Larkin.
According to Chad Ford, Larkin, who some say is the best pick & roll point guard in this draft, isn’t going to get picked so late, with teams around 15-16 interested in him, including the Milwaukee Bucks.
But the 2013 NBA draft is different. There don’t seem to be too many sure picks, and right after the top 8, it becomes a lot harder to predict who takes what, not to mention the trades we might have going on. In any case, with Deron Williams needing more than one backup (at the moment that’s Tyshawn Taylor, who played only 5.8 per game minutes last season), the Nets might opt to try and move up and take Larkin.
While undersized (5’11, 176 pounds), Larkin did extremely well in the pre-draft combine, considered to be the best athlete among players at his position. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Larkin finished in the 97th percentile in the NCAA on runners, the 91st percentile on jumpers, the 94th percentile on shots off the dribble and the 87th percentile in catch-and-shoot situations, averaging 14.5 points per game on over 47% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
While drafting for need doesn’t usually work, Larkin falls under the ‘Best player available rule’ for the Nets in the spot they’re looking to trade up to. There aren’t that many players who can make the Nets change their starting lineup, which is set with huge contracts for the next few seasons, but in order to make it further than the first round of the postseason, depth is necessary, and Larkin is certainly an upgrade to what they have right now.