Nets Rookie Compares His Game to Randle and Draymond. He Might Be Onto Something.

Joshua Jefferson just got drafted by the Brooklyn Nets at No. 28 overall. And he already knows exactly who he wants to play like.

The 6-foot-8 forward out of Iowa State spent his senior season putting up numbers that grabbed attention across college basketball: 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 47.4% from the field and 34.5% from three. He was the only player in the country to average those stats at that kind of efficiency. But what really made him stand out in pre-draft conversations wasn’t just the stat line. It was the way he talked about his game.

Jefferson didn’t hold back when asked which NBA players he sees himself in. He listed off a handful of names that tell you exactly what kind of player he wants to be.

“I think there’s a lot of shades of Draymond [Green] and his connectedness on both sides of the floor,” Jefferson said. “Jaylin Williams, the big version from the Thunder, the dirty work that he does. Just the ball skills that any of the big forwards have, like Naz Reid, Julius Randle, Paolo [Banchero], just all those big guards. I think I have a little bit of that. Just a combination of all those things, and a guy that can do everything on the court.”

That’s a pretty ambitious cocktail. Draymond’s defensive IQ. Randle’s bully-ball scoring. Naz Reid’s perimeter fluidity. But Jefferson has the tape to back it up. He shot 60.7% on close two-point attempts and posted a 27.7% assist rate — the highest in the nation among players 6-foot-8 or taller. He’s a legit ball-handler for his size, a smart passer out of the post, and he can guard multiple spots.

Learning from Randle — and trying to take his job

The Nets already have a Julius Randle on the roster. They traded for the three-time All-Star just before the draft, and part of the deal involved moving up from No. 33 to No. 28 specifically to grab Jefferson. So the fit is intentional.

Jefferson knows he’s walking into a frontcourt where Randle is the established star. He’s fine with that. He’s been studying the guy.

“It’s going to be huge for me,” Jefferson said of playing alongside Randle. “I watched a lot of Julius Randle film throughout my senior season. It helped me a lot seeing his mid-post and post-up work. It’s a work of art, in my opinion. I’m just going to use him as a resource to improve my game and then just get a lot of assists off of him.”

There’s something real about a rookie who already understands that the best way to get on the floor is to make the guy next to you better. Jefferson’s vision and passing could unlock some fun two-man actions with Randle, especially if Brooklyn’s spacing holds up.

The physicality element — and the one question mark

Jefferson is listed at 246 pounds. That’s not a tweener frame. It’s legit NBA power forward size with the strength to finish through contact and hold his ground defensively. He knows that’s his ticket to early minutes.

“I think the thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality,” Jefferson said. “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.”

The one thing that needs work? The three-point shot. He hit 31.5% from deep on just 2.0 attempts per game over four college seasons. Not terrible, but not enough to space the floor consistently yet. Jefferson said he’s been putting in reps all pre-draft and believes the shot will keep him on the floor. The Nets are betting he’s right.

Brooklyn’s 2026 draft grade will ultimately be decided by how Mikel Brown Jr. develops as the No. 6 pick. But Jefferson at No. 28 could be the kind of rotation player who makes a rebuild move faster. He’s not a project. He’s a 22-year-old with a grown-man body, a feel for the game, and a clear idea of who he wants to become.