The Brooklyn Nets have taken a pretty questionable approach so far in the 2025 draft. On day one they had the luxury of owning five first-round picks, and they decided to use four of them guards in Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell and Ben Safar. To wrap up the first round they used slot 27 to select a fascinating hybrid big in Danny Wolf. Their statement after day one is clear, which is to stock up on high-upside skill, versatility, and a whole lot of playmaking. But now, as the second round approaches and pick 36 looms, Brooklyn’s draft class is missing something vital, and a glaring issue they need to make sure to address.
The Nets need to get a center.
Brooklyn needs to be hoping, praying and making sure they prioritize selecting Ryan Kalkbrenner who might not be just a good fit, he might be the glue that holds this entire group together. The 7-foot-1 Creighton anchor is not the flashiest name left on the board, but he is exactly what this Nets roster lacks which is a true interior presence who scores efficiently and is able to bring a level of defensive maturity you rarely find that late in drafts.
While most of Brooklyn’s picks are about the future, Egor Demin’s IQ, Nolan Traore’s speed, Drake Powell’s versatility, Ben Saraf’s craft, Kalkbrenner is about filling a hole in the roster they desperately need to patch up. If Nic Claxton is indeed traded this summer, and with Day’Ron Sharpe still unsigned as an RFA, the Nets need someone who can step into the center rotation right away. The 23 year old, Kalkbrenner does that for them with a resume that screams he is ready for that role. During his years in college he secured being a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, he notched a 49-point game under his belt, and he received the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
Not only does he bring intensity on the defensive end of the floor, Kalkbrenner has greatly improved as a shooter and pick-and-roll finisher which definitely will help Brooklum in opening up offensive flexibility next to guards they chose, and a big man like Danny Wolf. Imagine the spacing when both bigs can pop out or pass from the high post, that is huge in the modern NBA offense.