{"id":911323,"date":"2026-09-27T07:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T07:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/911323\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T07:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T07:04:23","slug":"nets-2026-27-training-camp-breakdown-roster-battles-newcomers-and-storylines-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/911323\/","title":{"rendered":"Nets 2026-27 training camp breakdown: Roster battles, newcomers and storylines to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Post\u2019s Brian Lewis breaks down the Nets\u2019 top storylines heading into training camp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Best battle\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn\u2019s starting five is set before camp even starts, while Mo Wagner, Keon Ellis and a backup point guard all have to play. But the forward fight between Noah Clowney, Josh Minott, Danny Wolf and Joshua Jefferson will be interesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Story to watch develop\u00a0<\/p>\n

Veteran Michael Porter Jr. is on an expiring $40.8 million deal<\/a> and has been extension-eligible. His agent Mark Bartelstein said in July he planned to talk with GM Sean Marks \u201cin the days ahead.\u201d Since then? Crickets. Will the Nets extend him? Trade him? Do the former now and the latter next summer? No story will be more watched.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn\u2019s Michael Porter Jr. is seen on the bench during the first half of the Nets\u2019 loss to the Knicks on March 20, 2026 at Barclays Center. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST<\/p>\n

Coach\u2019s toughest challenge\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spending camp and preseason crafting an attack around Porter and Julius Randle. The Nets were last in Offensive Rating, and Randle pounds the rock. But Porter moves, cuts and gets off the ball quickly. They can work well, now coach Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez has to turn that theory into practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most intriguing rookie\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mikel Brown Jr. comes into camp as the Nets\u2019 highest-drafted player in 16 years, a rare combination of passing, deep range and downhill juice<\/a>. The task is getting him to pack on pounds, rein in his risk-taking and learn to run an NBA team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most intriguing newcomer\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Randle. Brown might become the Nets\u2019 most important player someday, but Randle is their best today. Their only All-Star, he\u2019s averaged 21.7 points and 8.9 boards over the past eight years. He\u2019s a floor-raiser and their only proven on-ball scorer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Julius Randle, now with the Nets, goes up for a shot as Mitchell Robinson defends during the Timberwolves\u2019 blowout loss to the Knicks on Nov. 5, 2025 at Madison Square Garden. Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

Most notable absence\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nic Claxton is gone after seven years in Brooklyn, along with his rim protection and vertical lob threat. Brooklyn has no replacement for either, and must find a No. 3 center behind Wagner and starter Day\u2019Ron Sharpe. Is it Wolf, Grant Nelson, Chaney Johnson or even Randle in case of emergency?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Biggest comeback\u00a0<\/p>\n

Egor D\u00ebmin. Granted, Sharpe\u2019s season-ending thumb operation was surgical, while D\u00ebmin\u2019s plantar fasciitis procedure was non-surgical. But the latter can become chronic, considering the lottery pick\u2019s importance, his health will be scrutinized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn guard Egor D\u00ebmin celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer to force overtime, but it was enough as the Nets fell to the Magic in the extra session on Jan. 7, 2026 at Barclays Center. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fernandez ends up having to make some tough calls between young and old, development and victory. Without their pick or incentive to tank, the Nets will aim to win. Does Fernandez give minutes to aging vets like, say, Terance Mann? Or force-feed sophomores Ben Saraf and Drake Powell, even if they\u2019re struggling?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Post\u2019s Brian Lewis breaks down the Nets\u2019 top storylines heading into training camp. Best battle\u00a0 Brooklyn\u2019s starting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":911324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[6996,49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-911323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=911323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=911323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=911323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=911323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}