Tyler Bilodeau’s first summer with the Nets has already shown the basic outline of why Brooklyn took him at No. 43: the shooting is real, the size is useful, and the defensive upside is what could make the whole thing work.
The rookie forward came out of UCLA with a strong resume. He averaged 17.6 points while shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 46.4 percent from three and 87.3 percent from the line, and he made third-team All-Big Ten for the second straight year.
Brooklyn saw a player who had been one of the best shooters in college basketball and one of the conference’s most skilled stretch centers over the last couple of seasons, even if he wasn’t projected to go that high in June. The Nets liked his size, versatility, shooting and room to grow, especially on defense, and he’s now locked in on a two-way deal.
That means he’ll have to climb his way up a crowded big-forward group that also includes Joshua Jefferson, Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf and starter Julius Randle, whom Brooklyn acquired this offseason.
Bilodeau opened summer play with a strong showing at the California Classic, averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds over two games while hitting 58.3 percent from deep. That included an 18-point performance with six threes against the Warriors’ Summer League team.
Tuesday against Sacramento was a different kind of night. Brooklyn rolled past the Kings 115-83 at Thomas & Mack, and Bilodeau finished 0-for-3 from the field in 18 minutes. He still chipped in two steals and a block, and that’s where the interesting part of his game showed up.
In the NBA, Bilodeau looks like a stretch four first, with some situational minutes at center possible if Brooklyn wants to lean into spacing in a smaller, offense-heavy lineup. That idea has been discussed under head coach Jordi Fernandez. For Bilodeau, the path forward is pretty clear: he has to show he can stay with perimeter players when he’s pulled away from the paint, and he can’t get exposed when bigger bodies target him inside.
That was the lens on him Tuesday, and he gave a mixed but encouraging answer. In his first stint, he was active on defense right away, playing about four minutes without touching the ball.
His best moment came against Sacramento center Maxime Raynaud, the former Stanford big, when Bilodeau got sealed on the block, held his ground, and used his length to block the shot. He also picked up a steal during that stretch, and the activity helped earn him more first-half run.
Later, he found himself on Darius Acuff Jr., one of the draft’s most dynamic lead guards, and that possession told a lot. Acuff tried to shake him, but Bilodeau stayed in front, absorbed the move when Acuff stopped for a baseline step-back, and got up to contest.
Acuff still made the jumper, but the sequence showed Bilodeau has enough tools to survive some of those switches if he keeps getting reps against guards with real shot-making skill. He also got switched onto a few Kings guards who attacked him, and he didn’t look out of place.
That fits with what he did at UCLA, where the defensive numbers were better than casual observers might expect. In 28 isolation possessions last season, he allowed 0.679 points per possession, which Synergy graded as Very Good.
And it wasn’t all against low-level matchups. He forced Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, who went No. 5 overall to the Clippers last month, into a tough shot after a jab-step crossover.
He made Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears settle for a contested jumper. He recovered well against Nebraska’s JaMarques Lawrence on senior day, closed the space quickly and helped force a turnover.
His work as a roll-man defender was Excellent, and he graded Good in post-up defense. He was also Excellent against catch-and-shoot looks, where his wingspan and quick reactions let him contest with consistency. The common thread on film was simple: he keeps a hand up, stays engaged and makes shooters feel him.
The rough spot came when he was switched onto ball handlers in pick-and-roll. In those situations, he gave up 1.222 points per possession, a Poor rating.
When he had to defend that rhythm and pace at center for long stretches, his lateral movement and reaction time could get stretched thin. Ball handlers were able to get him moving backward or sideways just enough to create clean looks, and the better guards made him pay.
His combine measurements help explain why Brooklyn is interested. He came in at 6-foot-7.25 without shoes, 6-9 in sneakers, with a wingspan pushing 7-1 and a standing reach near 8-11.
He didn’t test in the lateral agility or vertical drills, but that length showed up on plays like the block on Raynaud. Those are above-average size and reach numbers, and they were a big reason he was able to anchor UCLA’s defense effectively over the last two seasons.
So the question for Bilodeau isn’t really about whether he can score. That part is already there.
It’s whether he can sharpen the lateral reactions and the stop-start movement needed to defend smaller players in space. In today’s NBA, that’s where a lot of possessions live, and that’s where he’ll be tested.
Tuesday’s shooting line was quiet, but the defensive flashes were real, and he’ll get another chance Thursday against the Rockets.
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