When the Nets used the No. 43 pick on Tyler Bilodeau, plenty of fans immediately went to the same place: Why a shooter, and why not a bigger rim protector?
That reaction made sense on draft night. On June 24, Brooklyn passed on Trevon Brazile of Arkansas, who went No. 35 to the San Antonio Spurs, and Baba Miller of Cincinnati, who went one pick later to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Then came the Bilodeau selection - a 6-foot-9 power forward from UCLA and Billings, Montana - and the questions only got louder. Why not Henri Veesar, the Estonian seven-footer from North Carolina who stayed on the board until No.
52? Why not Ugonna Onyenso of Virginia and Nigeria, who lasted until No.
53?
Bilodeau wasn’t exactly a familiar name to the average fan. Before ESPN’s Jeremy Woo slotted him at No. 60, last, in his final mock draft two days earlier, he hadn’t shown up in the major mock drafts.
What he had shown, though, was a reputation as the top 3-point shooter in the Class of 2026. Brooklyn then moved to sign him to a two-way deal, which is a familiar route for the Nets with mid-second-round picks.
Now, after two games in Sacramento’s California Classic, the temperature has cooled. Some fans are already tossing around the Joe Harris comparison - or even a taller Joe Harris, since Bilodeau is three inches bigger.
That’s a lofty name to invoke. Harris, taken No. 33 in the 2014 draft, finished his career with the third-best 3-point shooting percentage in NBA history, led the league in 3-point percentage twice, and even beat Steph Curry in the 3-point contest in 2018.
Bilodeau gave people more reason to buy in during the third game in Sacramento, when he put up 18 points, five rebounds and two assists while knocking down 4-of-6 from deep. Through the first stretch, he’s averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, shooting 55.6% overall and 58.3% from three. That last number has also been helped by some no-look passes from Brown Jr.
“Yeah, you don’t find dudes at 6-9, 6-8, they could shoot it like that. You don’t.
Those are rare. And he’s very versatile on both ends of the floor,” Brown Jr. told The Post.
“[He’s] definitely one of those guys that once he sees one or two go through the basket, let’s try to find him. Because once he’s hot, he’s hot.”
Egor Dëmin had the same read after seeing Bilodeau in Sacramento.
“It’s very encouraging. He’s a very big target, first of all; that’s his main advantage.
His shot is very quick. That’s something I noticed…that’s one of the main emphasis for me when I’m working out my shot, was how fast can I shoot in a non-game situation to translate it better.
His shot, it’s incredible,” Dëmin told the Post. “It’s going to be great for him to make this transition, and benefit the team with his shot.
It’s obviously amazing.”
Bilodeau also told ND’s Shara Talia Taylor that he enjoyed himself.
The questions, though, don’t stop at the jumper. Dutch Gaitley, the defensive specialist on Jordi Fernandez’s staff, said the Nets still have work to do on the other end. He noted that Bilodeau could be targeted by opposing teams at the next level.
“He’s going to guard 4s or 3s, but we switch so much, eventually teams will (say), ‘Hey, let’s test this guy’s footwork,’ ” Gaitley told The Post. “Can he guard? Switch on the ball and hold his own?
“Then the next level is hold his own, but also be able to dictate to them, ‘Hey, I may be fearful I’m going to get beat, but if I get beat, I’m going to get beat in this direction because I know my help is going to be there.’ Know right-hand, left-hand dominant, our help is baseline or help’s middle. If he can lock into those things, he’ll be able to be successful.”
After that, Gaitley said, the next step is learning the Nets’ system, mostly in the G League, which opens November 13. There’s plenty of development ahead, including figuring out how Bilodeau can help when the shot isn’t dropping.
He’ll get the chance. As a two-way player, he can be active for Brooklyn in up to 50 games before the Nets have to decide whether to convert him to a standard contract. In the meantime, the expectation is that he’ll put up numbers in the G League.
So why did the Nets take him? The team didn’t spell it out, but one obvious factor is the value of having a shooter when you’ve got passers like Dëmin and Brown Jr. Joe Harris understood that dynamic.
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