National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: Three Ways Egidijus Mockevicius Can Make the Team

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:50 p.m. ET

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Mar 6, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Evansville Aces center Egidijus Mockevicius (55) rebounds against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the first half in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Egidijus Mockevicius, despite seeing no time at all this preseason, can be a very solid piece in Sean Marks‘ rebuild of the Brooklyn Nets

Egidijus Mockevicius has been quiet for the Brooklyn Nets in what we’ve seen from him. The Center out of the University of Evansville has seen zero minutes in the 2016 preseason but had a solid showing in the 2016 Summer League for the Brooklyn Nets.

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The solid showing in the 2016 Summer League earned him a contract with the Nets and is the reason he is one of the twenty guys on the preseason roster for Brooklyn. Mockevicius joins his Summer League teammate Beau Beech as one of the only two players to see no time at all this preseason.

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It’s very unlikely that we’ll see any of the Nets Summer League players, Mockevicius, Beau Beech and Yogi Ferrell make the final roster for the Nets but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for Mockevicius. There is plenty that Mockevicius can do to eventually find his way onto the Nets main roster during the 2016-17 season. It won’t be easy, but that doesn’t mean Mockevicius isn’t ready.

Mar 5, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Evansville Aces center Egidijus Mockevicius (55) grabs a rebound against the Indiana State Sycamores during the first half of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Take a Trip to Long Island

A trip to Long Island, the home of the Nets’ brand new D-League affiliate, Long Island Nets, may be exactly what Mockevicius needs to find his way onto the Nets roster. We’ve seen the Nets’ own Sean Kilpatrick impress and turn heads in the D-League before getting a call from Nets’ GM Sean Marks and offered a spot on their roster last season. Most likely we’ll see the Nets send Mockevicius to Long Island, following the end of the preseason.

Along with Mockevicius, we may see the aforementioned Ferrell and Beech, as well as potentially Jorge Gutierrez and Chase Budinger. That is a nice amount of talent for Mockevicius to play with and having talent around you never hurts. With some guys who have shown they can pass the rock and run the pick and roll well, Mockevicius should be excited to go down to the D-League and have the opportunity to excel in Long Island.

Jan 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Amir Johnson (90) guards Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Learn From Brook Lopez

Getting to just be in the locker room with one of the best centers in the NBA is a big deal, especially when you’re a center yourself. Mockevicius most likely won’t be with Lopez that much longer but while he is, it would be smart to squeeze as much knowledge out of him as he could. He also will be sharing Barclays Center with Lopez as the Long Island Nets will play their preseason games in Barclays Center before select Nets home games while the Nassau Coliseum gets revamped.

Mockevicius might be seeing a lot of Lopez this upcoming season and it would be wise for him to talk to Lopez and learn a little from one of the NBA’s best at the center position. With many similarities, yet many differences in the games of both Lopez and Mockevicius, learning from Lopez can only help. Mockevicius can learn what he’s doing wrong in his game and what he must change to make an NBA roster. Also, he can learn what his future coach, Kenny Atkinson likes out of his players.

Mar 5, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Evansville Aces center Egidijus Mockevicius (55) is congratulated by guard D.J. Balentine (31) after scoring against the Indiana State Sycamores during the first half of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Be Yourself

The last and most simple thing Mockevicius can do is just be himself. There’s a reason the Nets selected him to play for their Summer League team this past July and signed a $100k guaranteed contract with the team this past offseason. He clearly displays traits of what a “Sean Marks guy” is and fits what Marks is trying to build as far a culture goes.

Mockevicius displays traits of a Marks guy by doing the little things he does. Showing great character, boxing out, hustling, getting down and dirty, and most of all, knowing his role. Mockevicius showed promise during his time at Evansville and during his stint with the Nets during Summer League because he was himself and played his own brand of basketball.

Mockevicius is never the flashiest, or best player on the floor but he certainly always hustles and stands out for what he can bring to a team and that’s a different flavor of basketball, you can even dub it “Lithuanian Hustle.” Mockevicius definitely is a different type of player.

A standout at a small Division 1 basketball school, Evansville, and still was able to garner interest from NBA teams including of course, the Brooklyn Nets. With Sean Marks ushering in a new era of basketball in Brooklyn, Mockevicius can find himself a prominent piece in the rebuild of basketball in the borough.

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