With their third pick of the night in Thursday's 2011 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected C Jordan Williams from Maryland. The 6-foot-9, 247-pound Williams is undersized for his position, but gives the team another relentless rebounder to go along with Kris Humphries.
Williams played just two seasons at Maryland, averaging 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds during his sophomore season while struggling with his conditioning. He reportedly has lost 20 pounds since the end of the Terps season, but for a team that was looking for players that can help immediately there will be concerns about his ability to run with Deron Williams even in limited minutes.
Other than Brook Lopez and Humphries, the Nets are not returning another big man other than Johan Petro. That means Jordan Williams will need to quickly put those concerns to bed and give New Jersey production off the bench if the team is going to take a step forward into the playoff picture.