The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2025 NBA Draft with five picks to use, including four in the first round that could bring them a massive influx of young talent. From now until the Draft late in June, Brooklyn will be trying to get as much intel as possible on prospects and one of those players was recently brought in for a workout ahead of the Draft.
The Nets brought in Colorado State forward Nique Clifford for a predraft workout at some point recently, according to a report from Brian Lewis of the New York Post on Thursday. Some of the other notable names that have worked out for Brooklyn already are Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears and Duke forward Kon Knueppel, two players that the Nets could select with the eighth overall pick.
Clifford, listed at 6-foot-5 and 202 pounds, is coming off a senior season in which he rose his draft stock immensely after averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 49.6% from the field and 37.7% from three-point land. In the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, Clifford is being taken by the Miami Heat with the 20th overall pick, one spot after the Nets select Michigan State guard Jase Richardson 19th overall.
“Nique Clifford should draw interest from teams that are prioritizing prospects that can provide instant minutes and versatility,” Wasserman wrote when discussing Clifford. “A 23-year-old won’t be for everyone, but between his age, broad shoulders, shotmaking diversity, playmaking IQ, excellent rebounding numbers and experience playing different roles, Clifford should look like an NBA-ready forward with an adaptable game.”
As Lewis pointed out in his post on X, Clifford is mocked to go anywhere from the back end of the Lottery to 20th overall, meaning that he could be there for the taking by the Nets with the 19th overall pick, assuming that he impressed Brooklyn in his workout. Clifford is an older prospect, but that doesn’t change the fact that he presents like the kind of player who could contribute right away for head coach Jordi Fernandez and company.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets work out Colorado State’s Nique Clifford ahead of 2025 NBA Draft
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
