The season is upon us. Expectations are low but the excitement for a new era in Brooklyn are high. We\u2019re back for our annual NetsDaily roundtable which we give some analysis and bold takes. We thank everyone for reading and encourage you all to join in on the Q\/A in the comment section.<\/p>\n
Who or what are you most excited for entering the season?<\/p>\n
Net Income: Nic Claxton. It was only two years ago that Claxton led NBA in shooting percentage and \u201cstocks,\u201d combined steals and blocks. He played through a bad back last season. He\u2019s says he\u2019s healthy – and he\u2019s a new father. Nets have not had an All-Defensive team player since Jason Kidd left. Hoping he\u2019ll end that drought.<\/p>\n
Lucas Kaplan: Potential building blocks, AKA rookies and a mention to the suddenly swole third-year man Noah Clowney. Last season, Keon Johnson played nearly 2000 minutes, making leaps and bounds as an NBA player. The result? A tidy thank you graphic on socials as he was cut before training camp; now that just about sums up the 2024-25 Brooklyn Nets. In short: Year 1 of a rebuild is far more exciting than Year 0.<\/p>\n
Anthony Puccio: Excited to watch Jordi Fernandez coach the youngest team in the NBA. He was great this past season and this is his first real chance to prioritize development among first-round picks as the Nets enter yet another new era.<\/p>\n
Collin Helwig: Just the upside that comes with having so many rookies. When guys like Keon Johnson or Drew Timme (no disrespect) had big nights, it was only so exciting because in the back of your mind, you knew those guys probably weren\u2019t going to be around for the long haul. But if a young piece goes nuts? That\u2019s fun. That\u2019ll feel like it might be the start of something great.<\/p>\n
Scott Mitchell: I\u2019m most excited to see the rookies play on Long Island. With Brooklyn using all five of their draft picks, it seems like we\u2019ll be seeing a lot of them play on Long Island from time to time.<\/p>\n
Brian Fleurantin: I think I\u2019m most excited to see Noah Clowney. He\u2019s been super impressive in preseason so far and is someone I see the team having as part of their future. The coaching staff has raved about him all training camp long and I think he\u2019ll have a good year. This year is all about finding the next Nets, and I think Noah will be a big part of that.<\/p>\n
Tyler Carmona: I am most excited to watch Terance Mann play this year. Throughout his career, he has been impressive when given extra offensive opportunities. Now, playing on a team with an inexperienced backcourt, he should have the chance to take on a more advanced scoring role than he\u2019s had in the past.<\/p>\n
Who or what are you most concerned about entering the season?<\/p>\n
NI: Point guard play. Three 19-year-olds, two of whom look even younger. Sean Marks learned his lesson. They\u2019ll be no Dennis Schroder or D\u2019Angelo Russell to save the day.<\/p>\n
LK: Aside from the NBA Draft Lottery in seven months, I\u2019m concerned about just how many guys are on this roster. Guys with an argument for minutes, guys who are especially motivated to be part of a winning team (Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr.) at this point in their careers playing on a team that does not want to win games. In the short term though, I\u2019m worried that a lack of ball-handling will make this team a brutal watch. We saw that in the first half of their final preseason game, though they turned it around in the second half.<\/p>\n
AP: The rookies get exposed at a young age and lose confidence early \/ fanbase loses confidence in them early. This isn\u2019t a bold take but it\u2019s a legitimate concern, similar to how I felt with Dzanan Musa and a lot of young players from overseas who get thrown into the fire, struggle, and then overcompensate to try and make up for the misses. Off the court it\u2019s easily MPJ\u2019s comments on influencer podcasts.<\/p>\n
CH: I\u2019m a bit nervous there\u2019ll be a rift between the younger guys and the \u201cveterans.\u201d We know Cam Thomas is in a prove it year. Michael Porter Jr. has also talked about unlocking another part of his game. That said, the Flatbush Five is the future, and will naturally command minutes. If some sort of drama ensured this early into a rebuild, in year two under Jordi, that\u2019d be a real bummer.<\/p>\n
BF: Most concerned? I\u2019ll say Michael Porter Jr being a complete negative on defense. If MPJ isn\u2019t a passable defender, it makes this season a lot more of a slog than what we\u2019re already expecting. Bigger picture, I worry about the team\u2019s connection to the fanbase. It feels like there\u2019s a lot of frustration with the team as it relates to ticket pricing, in game experience for fans (ie the BK Block), the lack of success in the 2020s, etc. When you\u2019re in the position the Nets are in, you can\u2019t afford to mismanage those relationships and make the experience a frustrating, overly expensive one for the diehards out there. Rebuilds are never pretty, but the hope is the team can make this a more worthwhile journey for the fans that have stuck with them for all these years.<\/p>\n
TC: I am most concerned about this team\u2019s lack of a proven distributor. While they just drafted several potential point guards, none of them have showcased the ability to be NBA-level facilitators yet. If the rookie doesn\u2019t step up quickly, veterans like Terance Mann and Cam Thomas may have to carry the load in that department.<\/p>\n
SM: I\u2019m most concerned about injuries, particularly Drake Powell who dealt with an injury this summer.<\/p>\n
What is the BEST case scenario for the Brooklyn Nets this season?<\/p>\n
AP: The rookies develop. The product is fun. The Nets win enough games to overachieve but lose enough games to withstand high lottery odds\u2026 and the fanbase fully commits to this team\/plan.<\/p>\n
CH: Win a good amount of games, surprise everyone by being in the playoff picture all season on the backs of the rookies, but fall out of the play-in by one spot in the final week of the season, and then luck into the first overall pick. You\u2019re welcome to call that unrealistic, but another team did it four months ago.<\/p>\n
BF: Best case scenario is they have a bottom three record in the league and land a top three pick. I think we know Jordi is a good enough coach and they have some solid young players like Clowney and the members of the Flatbush Five. For this tank\/rebuild\/whatever you want to call it to work, you absolutely have to land a pick higher than eighth in the Draft. It makes this process a bit easier and gives you a higher ceiling player that you can hopefully build around. If they can secure a really high pick, it\u2019ll rejuvenate the fanbase and be the first sign that the team is starting to emerge from the wilderness.<\/p>\n
SM: The best-case scenario for the Brooklyn Nets this season is seeing all of their young guys playing well even if it may not equate to wins and playoff appearances right off the bat.<\/p>\n
TC: This team\u2019s best-case scenario would involve all of the rookies getting significant playing time and showing a great deal of promise, while also losing enough games to land a strong lottery spot.<\/p>\n
NI: They win more than predicted but still get the overall No. 1 pick. Two cheers for development and lottery luck.<\/p>\n
LK: Rookies all show flashes, including one (or TWO) All-Rookie selections, and of course, the #1 pick. Lakers somehow get desperate enough to cough up a first for Claxton and like, Ziaire Williams?<\/p>\n
Which rookie out of the five picks do you have the highest expectations for this year?<\/p>\n
CH: Proud to say I was one of the first to invest heavily in Drake Powell stock, and I\u2019m not selling it anytime soon, but we were also told he\u2019s likely to spend a lot of time on Long Island this year, so I\u2019ll say Egor for now.<\/p>\n
BF: This year, I\u2019ll say Egor D\u00ebmin. He\u2019ll get the most opportunity as the starting guard and I think he\u2019ll gradually get better the further he gets away from the foot injury and the more he gets reps against starting guards. I feel like he\u2019ll surprise plenty of fans and analysts this season.<\/p>\n
SM: Egor Demin was the first one picked, and it\u2019s clear Brooklyn really wanted him after drafting him eighth overall.<\/p>\n
TC: I have the highest expectations for Ben Saraf. While he was one of the team\u2019s later picks, he has the most professional experience out of all the rookies. His jumpshot could use some work, but I view him as the rookie most likely to develop into a reliable floor general.<\/p>\n
NI: Egor Demin followed by Drake Powell. Demin has looked poised in his Summer League gig and first preseason game despite a health issue in between. His 3pt shooting in SL and preseason: 13 of 28 or 46.4%. That seems less of a concern.<\/p>\n
LK: In order: D\u00ebmin, Wolf, Saraf, Powell, Traore<\/p>\n
Beyond Cam Thomas & MPJ, where is the offense coming from?<\/p>\n
LK: Nets were 7th in defensive turnover rate last season, and if preseason is any indication, Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez is only trying to ramp up the aggressiveness in his coverages. That *should* lead to some buckets on the break, though Brooklyn had a brutal time trying to convert steals -> points last season, given their relative lack of talent.<\/p>\n
TC: Ziaire Williams and Nic Claxton should provide some offensive relief outside of Brooklyn\u2019s top two playmakers. Based on Egor Demin\u2019s performance in Brooklyn\u2019s final preseason game, I also wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he quickly takes on a contributing offensive role. If he proves he can be a reliable ball-handler, that will lead to more playing time and offensive opportunities.<\/p>\n
NI: Looks like 3 pt shooting. Nets led preseason shooting 42.9% from deep and were 5th in overall shooting at 49.2%.<\/p>\n
AP: Collectively, in transition and out on the three point line. Nic Claxton and Ziaire Williams if we\u2019re talking names.<\/p>\n
CH: It\u2019s going to have to be collectively on the fast break. You added all these passers for a reason. Let\u2019s see them push the rock. Brooklyn should also be a decent defensive unit, able to force turnovers to kickstart that process.<\/p>\n
SM: If Nic Claxton can return to form, he can definitely create many second-chance shot opportunities.<\/p>\n
BF: Hmm, I think we\u2019ll see a lot more dribble handoffs with Nic Claxton as a hub. I was thinking of having Claxton as my answer to the first question, but I\u2019ll talk about him here! I think we\u2019ll see the coaching staff trust him a bit more and now that he\u2019s healthy, he has a lot to prove and I think we\u2019ll see some more aspects of his game.<\/p>\n
TC: I expect Cam Thomas to prove himself as much more than just a scorer this season. As he enters the year with a chip on his shoulder, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Thomas silences critics by making noticeable strides as both a distributor and defender.<\/p>\n
CH: Drake Powell wins the Dunk Contest<\/p>\n
SM: My bold prediction is that we may see a blockbuster trade happen for Brooklyn this season. They have a lot of young assets that teams may want, so it may be enough to land a big name back in the Big Apple, but this time, not only playing inside of Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
BF: Don\u2019t know how bold this is per se, but I think Cam Thomas is named to the All Star team this season.<\/p>\n
NI: Nets will not lose 374 games to injury and illness. That\u2019s the number from last season. A franchise record and that bodes well.<\/p>\n
LK: Nets finish either 30th in offense or defense.<\/p>\n
AP: Cam Thomas averages 6+ assists.<\/p>\n
Final record \/ Draft spot<\/p>\n
NI: 23-59. At beginning of Raptors game, I thought 26. After that horrid first half, I had dropped to 17. So I\u2019m splitting the difference. 4th pick in the draft taking Nate Ament 6\u201910\u201d Tennessee forward.<\/p>\n
LK: What would be the funniest outcome? Worst record in the league and falling to fifth in the draft, or is that too blas\u00e9? Eh, I\u2019ll go 22-60, fifth pick.<\/p>\n
AP: 25-57. 4th overall pick.<\/p>\n
CH: 24-58. 3rd overall pick.<\/p>\n
BF: 21-62. 2nd overall pick.<\/p>\n
TC: 32\u201350. 7th overall pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The season is upon us. Expectations are low but the excitement for a new era in Brooklyn are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10991,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,3282,8868,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-10990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","10":"tag-brooklyn-news","11":"tag-nets-analysis","12":"tag-nets-discussion-threads","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}