NBA PREVIEW : BROOKLYN NETS, FRESH START AND A BEN SIMMONS TEAM.
Key additions
F Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead
Key subtractions
G Seth Curry, G Joe Harris, G Patty Mills
Last season
Finally, the Great Experiment bottomed out and came to a loud, crashing splat. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — who were supposed to elevate the Nets to contender status and grab the basketball attention of all New Yorkers when they arrived three-plus years ago — were gone by midseason.
They left behind broken dreams and promises and, to be fair, most of that was caused by injuries to both during their time with the Nets. Irving wore out his welcome because of his unpredictable ways. The franchise, after running out of patience, happily sent him to Dallas. And it was only a matter of time when Durant, who initially asked for a trade in 2022, was gone, too.
In both deals, the Nets made out OK. Dallas gave them Dorian Finney-Smith, a solid swingman, and Spencer Dinwiddie, who played well for the Nets in his previous time in Brooklyn. But the big haul came from Phoenix for Durant: Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, a good pair of young wings who instantly made an impact.
Bridges in particular was borderline brilliant at both ends. In his new role as first option, he showed great potential and averaged 26.1 points per game in 27 games with Brooklyn. Johnson also played better offensively in Brooklyn, bumping his scoring average from 13.9 ppg with Phoenix to 16.6 ppg with Brooklyn.
The Nets recovered better than expected. Still, this is a rebuild, just with new players.
Summer changes
All was quiet, for a change, with a team that’s trying to distance itself from a starry yet stormy past. Instead of bringing in big names with big egos, the Nets went to the Draft. Instead of building around superstars, the Nets dumped those supporting pieces that were no longer needed.
NBA PREVIEW : ATLANTA HAWKS, PREVIEW, EXPECTATIONS AND TEAM SQUAD STRENGTH
Yes, the summer proved that it’s a new day in Brooklyn (if anyone still wasn’t convinced).
The most meaningful decision involved Johnson, an important part of the Nets’ rejuvenation. He signed a reported four-year, $108 million deal, which is rather rich for a player who’s still on a learning curve. But, it is in step with where the Nets are and where they’re trying to go.
Nets GM Sean Marks said re-signing Johnson was the top priority, and really, at that price, there was no way Johnson would’ve refused. Besides, he and Bridges aren’t high maintenance like the players of the recent past.
In a related move, the Nets dropped Curry, Harris and Mills. All three had outlived their use and were obsolete with the team’s new direction. They were supporting cast members of the last regime, and besides, all three are past their prime.
With a pair of late first-round picks, the Nets grabbed a pair of versatile forwards in Whitehead and Clowney. Both project to be bottom-of-the-rotation fillers for now because the Nets are deep at those positions.
And then there’s the move that never happened, probably to the annoyance of Nets fans: Ben Simmons is still around.
In a perfect world, Simmons would’ve been jettisoned this summer and a regretful era would’ve come to a refreshing end. But in the real world, he doesn’t have significant trade value. In fact, some would say he has none and to trade Simmons, the Nets would’ve had to take back a bad contract. In these situations, it’s probably best to hold tight, hope Simmons gets healthy and returns to the form he had in his first few seasons in the NBA, then reassess his future in Brooklyn.
In a year that saw Durant and Irving move on, Simmons stayed. This wasn’t what the Nets had in mind, but this was their new, though not improved, reality.
EXPECTATIONS
Expectations have plagued the Nets these past few seasons, with some of the most spectacular on-paper super teams assembled constantly falling short due to various melodramatic reasons.
This season will be a relief from that pressure, having traded all their superstars last year for a newly assembled young and scrappy lineup.
Internal development, injuries, chemistry, shooting and many other factors can sway the trajectory of a season, but barring too many outliers, it’s fair to ask what the proper expectations are for this team. Brooklyn is banking on guys like Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to be core franchise pieces, but how far can they lead their team in the short term and how much does it matter?
Expectations have plagued the Nets these past few seasons, with some of the most spectacular on-paper super teams assembled constantly falling short due to various melodramatic reasons.
This season will be a relief from that pressure, having traded all their superstars last year for a newly assembled young and scrappy lineup.
Internal development, injuries, chemistry, shooting and many other factors can sway the trajectory of a season, but barring too many outliers, it’s fair to ask what the proper expectations are for this team. Brooklyn is banking on guys like Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to be core franchise pieces, but how far can they lead their team in the short term and how much does it matter?
They had a negative point differential per 100 possessions, good for 19th in the league during that stretch. They were below average defensively and in the bottom eight offensively.
In their defense, the entire roster was upended and didn’t get much time to find chemistry. They now have a full offseason with less rotational clutter and distraction to prove they’re better than what we’ve seen.
Brooklyn has every incentive to, without their own picks to tank for and assets to trade for added talent. Show their retool is real, secure another major piece and it’ll be like they never left the upper tier of the East.
Though they were swept in the 2023 playoffs, the individual performances from their key cogs are a good takeaway. If Bridges and Johnson keep improving toward their potential ceilings, the Nets can surprise some people.
Bridges averaged an efficient 26.1 points and Johnson 16.6 in their short regular season stints in the black and white. They’ll need to improve their playmaking and creation but should have more help around them this year.
Brooklyn didn’t make their big trade yet, but moved away from duplicative veterans that couldn’t find consistent roles and ate away rotation minutes. In their place are some interesting young prospects, and whatever Ben Simmons turns out to be.
Between the newly-secured Dennis Smith Jr., Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton, Brooklyn should have the goal of a top-ten defense. Pile together even a middling offense and you can make the postseason that way.
The playoffs shouldn’t be looked at as do-or-die for this team, however. As is, they’re in no shape to contend, and while the added experience would be helpful it’s not world-changing if they don’t make it.
Exceed expectations in the regular season and/or steal a series from a higher seed and you have undeniable proof the franchise is getting back on track. It would take a lot going right, especially from Simmons and the injury front, but isn’t unthinkable.
STAR WATCH
BEN SIMMONS
Ben Simmons’ future in the NBA was pretty much in question this past season, but the Brooklyn Nets guard issued a rather bold statement ahead of the 2023-24 season.
“The version I’m at now, if I was playing against myself from last season, I would kill him. That’s how I feel.”
Simmons had a disappointing campaign with the Nets and reached his career-low numbers since foraying into the league. In the 42 games he played last season, he averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. A back injury forced him to be shut down.
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