Brooklyn is showing interest in a freshman star outside of the top 4

The The Brooklyn Nets are targeting a top pick in the busy 2026 NBA draft. While four candidates — Darrin Peterson, AJ DiBansta, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — stand out as the best, Brooklyn’s landing spot is currently outside the top four.

Fortunately for them, this year’s lottery is considered one of the deepest in recent memory. The Nets they supposedly have an interest a breakout freshman point guard who is projected to land just outside the top four.

“From what I’ve heard around the league, the name that I think is really important for Nets fans to keep an eye on is Houston’s Kingston Flemings. I’ve heard that’s a name that the Nets are interested in,” draft analyst Corey Tulaba said on The Locked On Nets podcast. “He was amazing this year. He was kind of unheralded, and he was also going on a veteran Houston Cougars team. So, it was like, is he going to play? Or is he going to be a second-year guy? And he just blew the doors off (this season).”

“Kingston Flemings is a name I’ve heard the Nets are interested in.”@CoreyTulaba on the first draft prospect outside the top four that Nets fans should be watching. pic.twitter.com/ZkhJgGbRi9

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) February 16, 2026

Flemings, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Virginia, is the fifth-ranked prospect on ESPN’s newest big board. The 19-year-old is a dynamic athlete who constantly pressures the paint and is solid as a rebound shooter, finisher and passer.

The Nets are showing interest in Houston freshman star Kingston Flemings

The Houston guard averaged 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals on .497/.388/.840 shooting in 26 appearances. The Flemish recently scored 42 points on 15-of-26 shooting with six assists and two turnovers in a 69-65 loss to 12th-ranked Texas Tech.

Tulaba, who correctly mocked Egor Demin to the Nets at No. 8 in last year’s draft, raved about the Fleming’s physical tools.

“His athleticism is crazy. Stylistically, he reminds me of what if Derrick Rose wasn’t built like a football player and jumped like an Olympic gymnast? He’s still crazy athletic, but that’s his style of play. His first step is crazy,” he said.

Most impressively, the Flemings rank ninth in the country with a 13.0 box plus-minus, according to Basketball Reference. He is one of five freshmen this season with a BPM of 13 or higher, joining Boozer, Wilson, Keaton Wagler and Allen Graves.

Before this season, only 11 freshmen since 2010-11 had a BPM of 13 or higher. Nine of them went in the top three picks in the draft.

Some Nets fans may scoff at the idea of ​​picking another point guard after being drafted three in the first round of the 2025 draft. However, Demin (6-foot-8) played off the ball for most of his rookie season and profiled as a jumbo playmaking wing. Ben Saraf also boasts above-average size (6-foot-6), which should give him positional versatility if he can develop an outside shot.

Meanwhile, Nolan Traore has shown encouraging flashes, but nowhere near the level that would prevent Brooklyn from selecting another point guard if the best player is available.

Flemings is one of several point guards projected to be selected in the top 10, along with Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr.

“Egor is 6-foot-10, Saraf is 6-foot-7, and Nolan hasn’t proven anything close to the point where you don’t go to BPA,” Tulaba said. “The problem with point guard is that this is an absolutely crazy point guard draft. So if you’re not in that four, a lot of the talent (at that position) is.”