UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Brooklyn Nets - Good if it Goes
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NBA Team Preview: Brooklyn Nets

Offseason:

Draft Picks: 20. SG. Caris LeVert, 42. SG. Isaiah Whitehead

Key Acquisitions: PG. Jeremy Lin, PF. Luis Scola, PF. Trevor Booker, SG. Randy Foye

Key Losses: PG. Jarrett Jack

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Jeremy Lin: 6’3, 200

  • Scoring lightning rod of a PG that is very comfortable with the ball in his hands running the show.
  • Right hand dominant player that loves to utilize ball screens to score.
  • Not a stopper by any means, but far from a liability on defense. Uses size effectively to overcome athletic shortcomings.

SG. Bogan Bogdanovic: 6’8, 216

  • Big wing player that can contribute offensively
  • Good 3 point shooter and even better from mid-range. He also converts at a solid rate at the rim. He’s not going to create most of his offense.  
  • Horrible defender that just doesn’t have the tools to defend on the wing.

SF. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: 6’7, 220

  • Potentially dominant defensive player on the verge of being an All-Defensive team caliber player.
  • Elite rebounding wing who plays with tremendous energy and tenacity.
  • Poor offensive player who can’t shoot it or handle it very well. Strictly a slasher at this stage of his career.  

PF. Trevor Booker: 6’8, 228

  • Undersized high energy PF that is very scrappy and plays a lot bigger than his measurables. Really good on the offensive glass.
  • Very good defender that has found a way to have an impact without being a major shot blocker.
  • Limited offensive player with above average athleticism to throw it down and finish as as a dump off target or dive man. Attempts to shoot from mid-range and 3, but just doesn’t have the touch.

C. Brook Lopez: 7’0, 275

  • Elite offensive big man that is without flaw within his offensive skill set, even shoots FTs at a good percentage.
  • Big time scoring big man who you can throw it down to and expect points. Can score with his back to the basket utilizing multiple moves and quality footwork. Also very effective facing up due to good mid-range game which also opens the door for him to put it on the floor some.
  • Decent defensive player that offers some rim protection and is at his best defending the interior. However his feet simply don’t move away from the basket often appearing useless defending in space or on the perimeter and it lowers his overall effectiveness as a complete defender.  

 

Bench

PG. Sean Kilpatrick: 6’4, 219

  • Former D-Leaguer who got his shot and lit it up In a very small sample size. Not afraid to take and make shots. Showed he can carry a load offensively with 2nd unit.
  • Big time shooter, especially inside the arc. Made a very high percentage of mid-range shots and attempts at the rim. Can score a little with the ball but looks to have big time off the ball scoring ability.
  • Liability on the defensive end but could be a product of unfamiliarity with the NBA.

SG. Caris LeVert: 6’7, 185

  • Injury prone guard capable of playing all 3 perimeter positions.
  • Was a big time playmaker at college by off-guard standards. Could be a very good secondary playmaker at the NBA level. Also was a very good shooter. Made over 50% of his 2s and 45% of his 3s.
  • Has some nice length to work with on defense with a 6’10 wingspan but lack of athleticism and a thin frame will most likely limit his overall effectiveness on that end.

PF. Luis Scola: 6’9, 240

  • Declining below the rim big man still trying to hold on as his career starts to dwindle down.
  • Can score a little with his back to the basket and is a good mid range shooter who has extended his range to the 3 point line.
  • Offers essentially nothing defensively. Too small to protect the rim, not physical enough to effectively bang in the interior, and has no mobility to defend away from the paint.

SG. Randy Foye: 6’4, 213

  • Declining combo guard with questionable shot selection
  • Shooting percentages were in the toilet last year as so was his ability to create good shots for himself.
  • Obviously not a defensive stopper but competent for a guy his size. He probably played better on that end than he did on offense last year.

PF. Chris McCullough: 6’11, 200

  • Thin stretch 4 who has a lot of athleticism and untapped potential. Needs to get stronger and bigger.
  • Offers nothing offensively in the post and despite having some success from 3 point range he struggled from mid-range and was horrible at the line.
  • Could develop into a big time defender due to his length and athleticism. Small sample size but nearly averaged 3 steals per 36 minutes in 24 games.  

C. Henry Sims: 6’10, 248

  • Journeyman big man that belongs on the bench at the NBA level.
  • Only hit 43% of his shots in limited action and just doesn’t offer anything offensively.
  • Does contribute defensively as a shot blocker and gets steals.

PG. Greivis Vasquez: 6’6, 217

  • Big PG without the adequate level of athleticism to play that position, he really struggled last season to do anything productive offensively.
  • Normally a reliable 3 point shooter but struggled last year. Doesn’t have a great handled and is reliant on ball screens for any kind of success.
  • Horrendous defender that is ill equipped to defend PGs.

PF. Anthony Bennett: 6’8, 245

  • Former 1st overall pick looking to save his career
  • Hasn’t mastered any 1 area of his game. Not a natural fit at any position. Doesn’t have the jumper, quickness, or handle to thrive on the wing and lacks the post game to play down low.
  • Defensively he’s just awful all-around and can’t guard a single position on the floor.

SG. Isaiah Whitehead: 6’4, 210

  • Athletic, long combo guard who needs to improve his decision making and shot selection.
  • Shaky jump shot and shot selection led to a horrible shooting percentage in college, things will only get tougher in the NBA where he won’t be able to rely on his athleticism as much. 3 and Drive player that can penetrate or shoot 3s but struggles with the inbetween game.
  • Has the athleticism and temperament to play defense on the NBA level it’ll just be a matter of how fast he can get acclimated to the NBA level.

 

Breakdown

The Nets are in a really bad position for a team that’s trying to rebuild. Because of the trade they made a few years ago with Boston to bring in the corpses of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Celtics got the Nets’ 1st-round pick (which was 3rd overall) in this past year’s draft and will get the Nets 1st-round pick again this year. They haven’t been able to attract any real difference makers in free agency and they’re not picking high enough in the draft to replenish the roster with top young prospects. However, the Nets will still be an intriguing bunch to keep an eye on. For starters, Brook Lopez, who is everything to them right now, is still there at center playing at a high level. He still draws a heck of a lot of attention when he gets the ball which helps to some degree open things up for a very mediocre supporting cast. The next best players on the roster are a pair of free agent newcomers in Lin and Booker. I like Lin and Booker both in roles that they’re meant to play. But asking them to be the 2nd and 3rd best players on a team is just asking to be the worst team in basketball. Lin is 1-hand dominant and can be easily held in check by the top perimeter defenders in the game or when defenses zone in on him and he’s not allowed to either play as a secondary option while on the floor with Kemba Walker or come off the bench against opponents 2nd-unit players. Of all the guys surrounding Lopez Hollis-Jefferson is the most intriguing to me. Offensively, he’s still got a long long long way to go. But he already strikes me as the type of player that can take over games with his defense and that is incredibly rare. The Nets bench is filled with raw unproven young guys and declining vets like Scola and Foye. But I do expect Sean Kilpatrick to light it up when he gets his opportunity to come in off the bench. He can put up points in bunches and will get the opportunity to prove he was more than just a flash in the pan.

Expectations

I expect the Nets to be the worst team in the NBA, it’s really that simple. They are far and away the least-talented roster in the league and in today’s more guard oriented NBA they have 1 of the worst backcourts in the league. Lopez is going to get his 20+ nightly and block shots and Linsanity will have a few nights where he goes berserk, but at the end of the day there just isn’t enough here for the Nets to even be competitive. And what makes it worst their pick goes to Boston so this season will be a complete waste for the Nets.

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