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#Nets were stunned to land Reggie Perry at NBA Draft

#Nets were stunned to land Reggie Perry at NBA Draft

All too often in the NBA, second-round picks are seen as disposable. But the Nets are clearly expecting Reggie Perry to not only make the team, but contribute.

With about only a fifth of second-round picks going on to have lengthy careers, anticipating anything from a 57th overall pick would normally be a pipe dream. But the way Brooklyn’s roster stands, it might be a pretty solid bet.

Kevin Durant will likely be protected from bulky brutish matchups as much as possible in his return from Achilles surgery, leaving the Nets in need of physical minutes at the power-forward spot. That just happened to be the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Perry’s specialty at Mississippi State.

“We enjoyed watching Reggie this last year at college, and I think he brings a different facet,” Nets GM Sean Marks said via Zoom.

“He’s a big man out there with a forceful nature and step out on the floor, as well as play in the post. But we had him much higher on our board. I look forward to seeing him develop, I look forward to seeing him in camp and going from there.”

Several mock drafts had Perry higher as well, projected to go 38th by NBADraft.net.

Reggie Perry Nets NBA Draft 2020
Reggie PerryGetty Images

Perry averaged 17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds to earn SEC co-player of the year honors as a sophomore. And he dominated last year’s FIBA U19 World Cup, earning MVP of a tourney that included lottery picks Tyrese Haliburton and Kira Lewis Jr.

His skill around the basket and dominant rebounding were both light-years ahead of his defense, where he was only in the 42nd percentile on points allowed per one-on-one possession (0.84). Perry is going to require a lot of work on that end, but it’s work his college coach seems to feel he can get done.

“Ultimately, Reggie is going to be a successful NBA player, I have no doubt about it,” Mississippi State’s Ben Howland said. “He has a bright future ahead because of his basketball IQ combined with his skill package, size and his strength.”

So why did Perry fall in the draft? The same traits that might have scared off some teams may make him useful in Brooklyn.

“They got Reggie Perry at 57, and that’s a good pick,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said on the “Lowe Post” pod. “People were a little bit scared about him attitude-wise. He played a little bit selfishly at Mississippi State. He’s a little bit of a rough dude, but that guy can play. He’s athletic. He’s got scoring instincts. He was a big-time player in the SEC as a sophomore.

“If there weren’t concerns about what kind of dude he is, I think he goes in the 20s. For them to get him at the end of the second round, he could end up being a sneaky guy, especially if they have to gut their roster, you’re going to need guys that can play, so he could give you 10 or 15 minutes.”

Brooklyn has yet to sign Perry, who could grab the second two-way spot along with Jeremiah Martin. They have one full roster spot open, able to offer either the minimum or the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception. (Ex-Net Jeremy Lin is among the players who’ve taken part in the team’s L.A. workouts).

Kentucky forward Nate Sestina and Tennessee off-guard Jordan Bowden inked Exhibit 10 deals, basically training-camp invites.

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