The Brooklyn Nets fell short in the 2020-21 season due to injuries, but with the amount of talent on their side, there is no doubt that they will be a strong contender once more for the upcoming season. Despite having a high-scoring Big Three, Steve Nash's squad still needs to have complementary players who can thrive within their given roles and do the dirty work for the team.
Heading to their 2021-22 campaign, the Nets are still lacking an inside presence who can consistently score easy baskets, grab boards and block shots at the rim. Last season, their glaring hole in the middle was exposed as other teams attacked the paint to keep up with the Nets' offensive firepower.
In the playoffs, it was also a major factor as to why they fell short against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite having a heavy scorer like Kevin Durant, the Nets didn't have an answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo's hard drives and easy putbacks at the basket. Having a reliable big man in the paint to stop the two-time MVP could've possibly allowed Brooklyn to overcome the Bucks in the seven-game series.
As of the moment, the Nets have yet to make a significant move to solve this problem. They failed to acquire a frontcourt defender like P.J. Tucker, an experienced vet like JaVale McGee, or a tenured big man like Nerlens Noel to fill the gap. On the flip side, they do have DeAndre Jordan in their corner, but he is simply taking up a ton of cap space for someone who didn't see a lot of action on the floor, especially in the postseason last year.
Blake Griffin also returned on a one-year deal. While he showed flashes of his old self last season, he can only do so much to help the Nets in the middle.
Looking at the bright side, the team still has a promising youngster in Nicolas Claxton who provided quality minutes off the bench last season with averages of 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 32 appearances. Perhaps Claxton develops into the consistent big man Brooklyn needs, but he's still young.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Nets tried to haul in young frontcourt players in Day'Ron Sharpe from UNC with the 29th pick and RaiQuan Gray from FSU with the 59th pick. It remains to be seen how their games will translate to the next level, but Nash is hoping to get valuable contributions from his young players next season.
With a mix of aging veterans and raw prospects, the Nets still have a shaky dynamic in the frontcourt. Question marks are still being raised on whether or not the depth of the room will be enough to contain the dominant big men in the league such as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis, among others.
After failing to acquire a notable big man in the offseason thus far, Nash is definitely banking on the production of his current players on the roster, be it Jordan's capability to contribute at the age of 33 or Claxton's potential to make a significant leap in his third season in the league.
As of the moment, time is already ticking for the Nets, but they can still make a run for the remaining free agents available today in Lauri Markkanen (probably too expensive), Paul Millsap, Isaiah Hartenstein, and DeMarcus Cousins as potential targets. Perhaps making a move on one of these players can provide depth and much-needed help in the middle for them next season.
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