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The Brooklyn Nets and 19 year old New Zealand Breakers guard, R.J. Hampton, seem to have mutual interest in joining forces on November 18th, when Hampton will be eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft. Nets general manager, Sean Marks, took a personal trip to Memphis to see Hampton work out for the team. Hampton, a 6'5" guard, forewent college, and opted to play for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) last season. Hampton averaged 8.8 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game in 2019-20. Not an absolutely spectacular showing from the Texas native, but scouts see Hampton as a player with above average strengths in areas such as assists, rebounds, and steals.
Hampton will be a tough get for the Brooklyn Nets
With the 19th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, R.J. Hampton is expected to be off the board well before the Nets will be on the clock. That won't stop the Nets front office, Nets fans, and Hampton himself from dreaming about R.J. coming to Brooklyn. In an interview with the New York Post, Hampton took pleasure in day-dreaming about what it would be like to suit up with two of the greatest basketball players in the world today, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
“The thing I like about that fit is I can play off those guys, those guys are superstars in this league, Kevin Durant and Kyrie. You have Caris LeVert, an up-and-coming star, with a Hall of Fame coach, Steve Nash. So those guys would give me the wisdom every single day, just coming in ready to work. That’s a very good team, a great organization to play for, so I think that fit would be good.”
It is clear that the Brooklyn Nets are sold on this kid, and everyone seems to think he would be a perfect fit in Brooklyn. In a majority of mock drafts that I've looked at, most people have Hampton going 16th overall to the Portland Trail Blazers, but there were a few mock drafts that I've seen, where people had him falling well into the mid-20's, which would give Brooklyn a shot to get him at 19th overall. Hampton has also been interviewed by a handful of other teams, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons.
The 2020 NBA Draft kicks off in less than a week, on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020 at 7 P.M. on ESPN. Follow me on Twitter for all you Brooklyn Nets news, rumors, and updates! @NY_cth.
-Chris
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