The Brooklyn Nets are going to look a lot different for the upcoming 2015-16 NBA season. The team cut ties with star point guard Deron Williams, traded away young center Mason Plumlee and let key reserve Mirza Teletovic leave in free agency. Through it all, the Nets are sure to have a new starting five and a totally different take on where they’re headed this year, and beyond.
Sometimes NBA GM’s need a little help piecing their rosters and/or starting units together, and that’s where we come in, as we continue our run in “ideal starting lineups”. This time it’s the Nets, and we think we have the perfect solution with their currently constructed roster that could maximize their win potential:
Starting 5: Jarrett Jack (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Bojan Bogdanovic (SF), Thaddeus Young (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
The Nets had to get rid of Deron Williams. He wasn’t a good fit anymore and he had a bad attitude. More specifically, he stopped playing defense and his shot was all over the place. Jack isn’t much better in either regard, but perhaps he was a little more consistent. Jack tends to fall apart late in games, though, so there’s not much to fall in love with at the point in Brooklyn right now. He’s definitely better than Shane Larkin, who is regrettably going to get solid minutes on this squad. If I’m the Nets, I don’t settle on Jack and try to swing a trade to upgrade at the point. That being said, Jack is the best they’ve got, so he’s starting no matter what.
I don’t buy the “bench Joe Johnson” hype. It sounds like the Nets want to cut his minutes back and decrease his workload in an effort to keep him fresh and efficient. Maybe it works, but for me, they just don’t have a strong enough starting unit to be able to afford to do that. They need Iso Joe out there, as he’s a great source of points, he can create and he keeps defenses guessing. Perhaps just cut his minutes down and go from there.
I’m not a huge fan of Bojan, but he’s somewhat underrated overall and spaces the floor pretty well with his outside shooting. He’s the best small forward the Nets have unless they’re using Johnson here, so the logic is simple. He leaves something to be desired on defense, but he gives solid effort, so he’s not a total waste there.
Power forward is when this lineup starts picking up, as Young was extended and is looked at as part of Brooklyn’s future. He can defend and is an athletic, versatile big man who can shoot a bit, too. He’s not overly efficient and can have rough stretches, but he’s a really solid four to have and absolutely belongs in this starting lineup.
The key is Brook Lopez. The Nets re-signed him to be their franchise player and the offense is going to run through him this year, probably even more than it did a year ago. His main issue is a rough health history, weak rebounding and absolutely atrocious defense. He can block shots, but he doesn’t actually stop anyone. He’s a terrific scorer, though, so he’s going to help the Nets a ton in that department. If this team stays afloat, he’ll be pretty much the only reason why.
Key Bench: Shane Larkin (PG), Wayne Ellington (SG), Markel Brown (SG), Andrea Bargnani (PF)
As “meh” as the Nets starting unit looks, their bench is even worse. Larkin is barely passable as a backup these days, as he’s too small to create inside or get to the rim consistently and nice steal numbers confuse people to think he’s a plus defender when he really isn’t. That being said, he’s a gadget guy who can provide random offense and snatch some steals. Hopefully the Nets don’t have to use him too much.
Ellington may end up starting, but this second unit badly needs some outside shooting and scoring, which he can provide. He’s not a great defender and doesn’t do anything on a high level other than score, but he can fill up the bucket when he’s on fire. He could be a serviceable starter if they go that route, but I’d love him off the bench. The same goes for Brown, although for different reasons. He has a raw offensive game, but contributes all over the place and can help on defense. He could end up carving a bigger role and being a gem to watch if he can keep improving.
Last and potentially least is Bargnani, who absolutely can still fill it up as a scorer but offers little else. He’ll randomly chip in big rebound and shot-blocking efforts, but usually is a very suspect performer in both areas – especially considering how tall and long he is. Health is a problem for him, but if he can stay on the court he should be a very nice bench scorer.
Overall, it doesn’t look amazing for the Nets heading into the 2015-16 NBA season. Their starting unit is a little sapped and if they’re serious about winning, they’ll want to move Joe Johnson and/or try to upgrade over Jack at the point. They don’t have a ton of young talent to develop, so they could be stuck in a rut if Young/Lopez don’t live up to their contracts. With the current roster, though, there isn’t a whole lot of optimism and it’s highly likely the Nets slip out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
