​After spending five seasons in college and earning his first taste of NBA action last season, Grant Nelson is looking to continue building toward a permanent spot in the league.The 6-foot-11, 230-pound forward/center is part of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2026 Summer League roster after splitting last season between Brooklyn and the Long Island Nets. However, he has yet to appear in Las Vegas as he continues recovering from the patellar tendinitis that ended his 2025-26 season.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven though he isn’t on Brooklyn’s full-time roster, Nelson is one of the organization’s more interesting developmental players. He showed enough during his first professional season to earn an NBA call-up, and with another year in the system, he’ll have a chance to compete for a bigger role once he’s healthy.Nelson played the first three seasons of his college career at North Dakota State before transferring to Alabama for his final two years.He came off the bench as a freshman, averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 27 games while earning Summit League Sixth Man of the Year honors. His role expanded as a sophomore, when he averaged 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds after moving into the starting lineup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEverything came together during his junior season in 2022-23. Nelson averaged 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks and 0.8 steals while shooting 52.1% from the field in 30.6 minutes per game. He earned First Team All-Summit League and All-Defensive Team honors and established himself as one of the top players in the conference.Instead of staying in the draft, Nelson transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2023-24 season to test himself in the SEC. His numbers dipped in a different role, but he became an important piece on one of the country’s best teams. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while helping the Crimson Tide reach the program’s first Final Four.One of the biggest moments of his college career came in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina, where he finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to help send Alabama to the Elite Eight.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNelson returned for one final season in 2024-25 and averaged 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as Alabama made another run to the Elite Eight before he declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.After going undrafted in 2025, Nelson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Brooklyn and appeared in all five Summer League games, averaging 6.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 19.1 minutes per game.He was waived following training camp but remained in the organization after joining the Long Island Nets. Nelson made the most of the opportunity, averaging 12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 blocks while shooting 55.6% from the field in 17 G League games.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis play with Long Island was enough for Brooklyn to reward him with a 10-day contract in late February, giv