Nets Bet on a 46.4% Three-Point Shooter. He’s Their Second-Round Pick.

The Brooklyn Nets officially signed Tyler Bilodeau to a two-way contract Thursday. He was the 43rd pick in the draft. The 6-foot-9 forward shot 46.4 percent from three as a senior at UCLA, the best mark among every player taken this year.

That number is going to follow him around for a while. It should.

Bilodeau averaged 17.6 points and 5.6 rebounds last season, shooting 51.8 percent overall. He started at Oregon State before transferring to UCLA for his final two years. The 22-year-old knows what his calling card is, but he doesn’t want to be known as just a shooter.

“I’m excited to just bring that winning mentality. I think I can do multiple things on the court: space the floor, get after it defensively, rebound, be a great teammate, just do all the little things,” Bilodeau said. “I’m known for my shooting, but I think I score on all three levels. I’m really good at punishing switches using my size and strength. But I also want to be seen as a good defender and rebounder as well.”

The Brooklyn frontcourt is suddenly crowded

Bilodeau joins Chaney Johnson as the Nets’ two-way players. He’ll compete for minutes in a forward room that got a lot deeper this offseason.

Brooklyn traded for Julius Randle, who’ll start at power forward. The Nets also took Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson at No. 28. Jefferson put up 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game on solid splits. He’ll turn 23 early in the season, so he’s more NBA-ready right now than most rookies.

And then you’ve got Noah Clowney (drafted in 2023) and Danny Wolf (2025) still in the mix. That’s a lot of bodies for a team that’s still figuring out its identity.

G League time is almost a sure thing

Realistically, Bilodeau is headed to Long Island for a good chunk of his rookie year. That’s fine. It’s basically standard operating procedure for second-round two-way guys. He needs reps developing his on-ball game and figuring out how to hold up defensively. His athletic profile has limits, and the jump from college to NBA speed is brutal for forwards who aren’t elite athletes.

But the shooting is real. Floor spacing like that is hard to find in the second round, and if Bilodeau can hold his own defensively, he’ll get an NBA look at some point this season. The Nets are betting on the shot. It’s a smart bet to make with a pick this late.