Joshua Jefferson, the Brooklyn Nets' first-round draft pick, believes the team is precisely where he needs to be, despite some viewing his selection as a gamble. The 22-year-old forward joins the Nets after averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists for Iowa State, while shooting 34.5 percent from three-point range.
"It was really good feedback, from the late first round, from all the front office, just seeing what they need for their team," Jefferson said. "They felt that I fit in a lot of spots because of my versatility. I’m where I need to be. The Nets took a great chance on me, and I’m very thankful for that."
Jefferson's path to the NBA draft was complicated by a left ankle sprain that ended his NCAA Tournament prematurely. "When that injury happened, I feel like a lot of things [were] jeopardized from that. Going into pre-draft, I was like, make the most out of your workouts and attack your rehab hard and everything will go how it needs to go," he stated. "Very blessed for this position that I’m in and just very thankful."
Nets General Manager Sean Marks confirmed that acquiring Jefferson was a primary objective when the team traded for Julius Randle and the 28th pick. "Josh was a guy that we have absolutely been all over all year long and watched how he played the game, his skill set. That definitely translates," Marks said. "High IQ, and when you watch him play — when Iowa State plays through him, his teammates feed off of him — he’s definitely a facilitator out there. The toughness that he has. So there were a lot of intangibles. And then he’s a winner, an absolute flat-out winner. There’s an edge to how he plays and a toughness, which we loved."
Marks also highlighted Jefferson's playmaking ability and how it aligns with head coach Jordi Fernández's system. "The way Josh plays with the ball, the DHOs, the reads, the passing ability. That’s absolutely going to fit within Jordi’s system and Jordi’s style and how he wants to play."
Jefferson, who measured 6-foot-7 ¾ and 246 pounds at the draft combine, emphasized that his physicality will translate quickly to the NBA. "The thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality. The NBA is a physical game right now. You have to be physical in the playoffs to win, and that’s what I’m going to bring," he said. "Then just continue to work on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. So if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor. And defending."
He has studied players like Paolo Banchero, Draymond Green, Naz Reid, and Jaylin Williams, and specifically cited Randle. Jefferson plans to learn from the veteran forward. "It’s going to be huge for me. I watched a lot of Julius Randle film throughout my senior season. It helped me a lot seeing his mid-post, post-up work is a work of art," Jefferson said. "I’m going to use him as a resource to improve my game and then just get a lot of assists off of him."
Jefferson's signing with the Nets follows the team's agreement to an Exhibit 10 deal with Illinois forward Ben Humrichous.