Believe it or not, if I had to rank the NBA franchises with the bleakest futures, the Brooklyn Nets would not rank dead last. They'd rank dead next to last, but that's neither here nor there.
Here's what's working for this team.
They have a clear vision for a playing style. Kenny Atkinson has instituted a pace-and-space offense that's in the top five in pace and floor spreading. With Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez in an all-wings lineup with Randy Foye (average shooter), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (good defender, big defender, bad shooter), and Caris LeVert (promising, but still underdeveloped), they actually have a solidly positive lineup, outscoring opponents by almost 4 points per 100 possessions. Atkinson is also a great developmental mind, turning LeVert, Hollis-Jefferson, and Isaiah Whitehead into prospects who'll probably be role players on good teams.
Management also has resigned to this patient, rebuilding process, trading away pieces smartly for assets in the form of first-round picks and not young, barely still in the league prospects. The Thaddeus Young trade, the Bojan trade, those were all very productive for the Nets, giving them shots at prospects that fall in the draft to them.
I could write a piece about Caris LeVert's dark horse chances of turning into a potential lead ball handler on a team, but that would take major time to grasp for straws. Regardless, it's promising to see the Nets handle their scouting with the correct amount of calculated risk taking.
What's wrong with this team is their lack of any surefire stars, can't miss prospects, or top draft picks. There's nothing really to elaborate.
So what can they do to this offseason to keep this somewhat upward trend going?
Step 1 - Draft really well.
This is a no-brainer. With their smart trades, they have the 22nd and 27th picks in this not-so deep draft. There's a chance that Harry Giles, a player who showed no promise at Duke, might drop down to the early 20s, and the Nets could throw him in the Atkinson machine and probably churn out a rim-running center. Maybe Terrence Ferguson, an athletic wing with range, or Luke Kennard, a heady, crafty scorer, will fall to them. There's a chance that Donovan Mitchell, Justin Jackson, or Dwayne Bacon will be available as well. The idea here should be to take either high-risk, high-reward players like Giles or Ferguson, or players who will project favorably as high-end role players. They should focus on rim-runners and defensively gifted wings with shooting strokes, so they can create a cavalcade of long wings, much like Golden State or Milwaukee.
Step 2 - Throw money at restricted free agents and try to pick up a second or third tier free agent that can fit into the system.
Obviously, the Nets should clear cap space and throw money at any top free agents. They won't get any. So, in response, the Nets would be smart to throw max money at Nerlens Noel and Otto Porter, in the off-chance the Mavs or the Wizards can't match. The Nets could also think of throwing short-year, near-max money at players like Jeff Teague or James Johnson or even Derrick Rose. There's no point in being bad because they won't own their own pick unless Boston trades it back to them. So, to maximize the development of their young players and maximize profits, it's prudent to play meaningful games and try to make a playoff push.
Step 3 - If the free agency market doesn't look promising, explore trade options for Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez for 2018 first round picks.
Brook Lopez is a top 10, at worst, center in the league, now with solid three-point shooting. And, he's actually a decent rim protector when he's motivated. Honestly, I can't find a feasible trade, but there's bound to be an idiotic team (hey, Phil) that wants a center to build an offense around. The other tempting candidate to unload is Jeremy Lin, who is, at best, a strong backup point guard or a starting point guard in a pinch. The Thunder would give up some draft picks for a backup to Westbrook. The Jazz would definitely convey a first round pick for a backup for George Hill.
All things being said, the Nets know that they won't be good for a while, so they should sell the parts on their roster that can get assets back and cash in on any free agents that may want to play for them. It's sad that they have to resolve to such a method of rebuilding to pick themselves out of this situation, but they're making progress. Slow, but steady progress.
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