Meet the players in the mix for Nets’ final two-way roster spot

There’s one more order of business in Brooklyn, where an incomplete roster approaches finality.

The Nets have 16 players for 15 guaranteed roster spots, which whittles down to three players competing for two of those spots: reserve guard Jevon Carter (acquired in the Landry Shamet trade), reserve forward Sekou Doumbouya (acquired in the DeAndre Jordan deal), and reserve forward Deandre Bembry (on a partial guarantee).

NBA teams are also permitted to sign two two-way players, bringing their regular-season roster total up to 17. Two-way players split time between the team that drafted them (or acquired them after the draft) and the G-League. They are young players in the organization’s development system, hopeful to have their name called and earn a spot in the rotation.

The Nets used all five of their draft picks in the 2021 draft, taking Summer League co-MVP Cam Thomas and glass-cleaning big man Day’Ron Sharpe in the first round. They also selected Kessler Edwards with their first pick in the second round and signed him to their first two-way roster spot.

That leaves one two-way roster spot open for a number of worthy contestants hoping to join a talented Nets franchise angling for its first championship since before the 1976 NBA-ABA merger. Here are those players.

(Note: The Nets have one additional training camp roster spot open. That player could end up in the mix, either for the two-way spot or the final regular roster spot.)

DAVID DUKE JR.

Duke is the early favorite to land the Nets’ final two-way roster spot, even more so after the Nets waived Alize Johnson. The Nets signed Duke, a standout at Providence, to an Exhibit-10 training camp contract ahead of Summer League. In four games, Duke played tough defense, crashed the boards and was able to contribute offensively alongside whichever lead guard was on the floor.

Duke showed a weakness on the perimeter, shooting just 11% from three-point range in the Summer League. His history, though, shows shooting can be improved: Duke shot just 29.7% from three as a freshman in college before improving to 42% as a sophomore and 39% on a higher volume as a junior.

Duke also plays a crucial position; the Nets need wing depth behind their superstars and Joe Harris. At only 6-5, he’s undersized for a small forward, where he’d have to compete against the likes of Bembry, Edwards and Bruce Brown for minutes.

This isn’t about minutes, though. It’s about making the team, and Duke has as good a chance as anyone to earn the final two-way spot.

MARCUS ZEGAROWSKI

Zegarowski, the 49th pick in the draft and the younger brother of Michael Carter-Williams, faces somewhat of an uphill battle given the positional breakdown of the current Nets’ roster. Nets GM Sean Marks has said it’s his duty to take the best available prospect on the board, regardless of the player’s fit on the roster. Yet Zegarowski is a point guard, and an undersized one at that, on a team loaded with players at his position. You’ve already got James Harden and Kyrie Irving, who will play the majority of the minutes at the one. You’ve also got Patty Mills, who will play virtually all of the point guard minutes that Harden and Irving don’t.

And in the event one of those players is out, Cam Thomas immediately shifts up into that backup two guard role. Zegarowski is this year’s Chris Chiozza, except Zegarowski was a higher-clip scorer in college, whereas Chiozza seems to be the more gifted passer and playmaker.

RAIQUAN GRAY

The Nets had a center weakness last season. They moved on from DeAndre Jordan, drafted Day’Ron Sharpe, re-signed both Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, then signed Paul Millsap, giving the team size and versatility at the five. Not to mention Nic Claxton can be penned into the rotation on any given night.

RaiQuan Gray is as versatile as this year’s rookies have come and has drawn comparisons to Golden State’s Draymond Green. He has good court vision and can make passes many big men can’t. At 6-8, 260 pounds, Gray also has the size to bang with fives but the speed and agility to guard forwards and some wings.

DEVONTAE CACOK

The Nets most recently signed Cacok, a former Laker, to their training camp roster. Cook is a tweener forward-center who is entering his third NBA season. He is another versatile frontcourt defender the Nets have added in an effort to shore up their interior defense.

Cook played in 20 games for the Lakers last season but split his time in the G-League as a rookie. For the South Bay Lakers, he averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and a steal per game, production the Nets are hoping he can mirror for their franchise, both now and potentially down the road.