Brooklyn Nets rookie forward Tyler Bilodeau was taken by the Nets with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of UCLA and as a result, he had some things to prove. Brooklyn has been investing in their roster via the draft and with Bilodeau being taken with a second-round pick, the Nets’ coaching staff is looking to see certain thing he can provide immediately.
“I think it’s just overall toughness. It definitely comes from his dad being a former hockey player. He’s gotten into scraps leading up to it,” Nets summer league head coach Dutch Gaitley said of Bilodeau following a 100-83 loss to the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas Summer League. Bilodeau was able to get plenty of reps with the Nets this summer as he played six games between Las Vegas and the California Classic.
“His superpower to play in the NBA is going to be the shooting but then what’s going to be the B what’s going to be the C? One of them is the toughness,” Gaitley continued on Bilodeau. “Then, it’s helping him with the IQ of defensively, where his help’s coming. Offensively, where to find his shots but I was really proud of him.”
While Bilodeau played more total minutes in Las Vegas, he was far more productive during his time in Sacramento during the Classic as his shooting looked like the part of his game that would translate right away. In two games in the Classic, Bilodeau averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6% from the field and 58.3% from behind the three-point line.
Bilodeau’s play seem to go in the opposite direction in Las Vegas as he averaged just 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 22.7% from the floor and 15.4% from deep. Similar to his fellow rookies in Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson, Bilodeau will have to continue building on strengths while trying to lessen his flaws if he is going to see more playing time at the NBA level next season.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: What to make of Nets’ Tyler Bilodeau during summer league circuit?
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
