Training camp is just three weeks away as the new-look Brooklyn Nets inch closer to their 2022-2023 campaign. Things have been relatively quiet on the Nets front since the Markieff Morris and Yuta Watanabe signings last week.

With that, I took some questions from NetsWorld in the first edition of my Nets mailbag.

Who do you think is the 5th starter? O'Neal, Harris, Curry, Warren? I'd prefer O'neal to start because 3&D. -@NetsLink

I wrote about this recently. I’m expecting Seth Curry to move to the bench this year after starting all 17 of his games in Brooklyn last season. The Nets struggled defensively with the lack of size of a Curry, Kyrie Irving backcourt. For that reason, the competition should be between Joe Harris and Royce O’Neale for the final starting spot alongside Irving, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton. Head Coach Steve Nash could go either direction between those two, but I would think Harris gets the nod as the team remains extremely high on the seventh-year Net. Harris is effectively a bigger version of Curry that can hold up against sizable guards and wings defensively.

However, I would be less concerned with who starts and more concerned with who closes. I would expect Harris and O’Neale to play alongside one another frequently in closing lineups. Simmons moving to center would allow Brooklyn to maximize its offense down the stretch of games. Irving, O’Neale, Harris, Durant, and Simmons could be the group there.

Of the new additions to the roster who do you think will have the biggest impact this season? -Stephen C.

Ben Simmons is the obvious answer here, but that may be controversial as Simmons was on the team last season despite not playing a game. Because of that, I’ll go with Royce O’Neale. The 29-year-old started 210 games over the last three seasons for a Utah team that made the playoffs each of those years. O’Neale is the type of player the Nets were missing down the stretch of last season: a three and D wing. The five-year veteran is a career 38 percent shooter from three and frequently guarded some of the top scorers in the league while in Utah. His added size and defensive versatility alongside Durant, Simmons, Harris and Claxton will be huge for Brooklyn.

What role do you see Ben Simmons playing this year? What role does he need to fill for the Nets to go all the way? -Brian P.

It is difficult to pinpoint one role for Simmons in Brooklyn. His size and versatility will place him all over the floor. When assessing where he will make the greatest impact, two areas stand out. The first is as a defensive stopper. At 6’11” and a two-time all-defensive first-team selection, the Nets have not had a defensive talent like Simmons in a very long time, if ever. The second would be as a grab-and-go ball handler orchestrating the fast break. Per Synergy Sports, Simmons averaged 2.7 assists per game in transition in 2020-2021, the second-most of any player in the league. That transition offense will not allow opposing teams to set their defenses and should lead to tons of open looks for shooters like Irving, Durant, Harris, Curry, O’Neale, Warren and Mills. Simmons should also act as a screener in the half-court to dissuade teams from blitzing Irving or Durant. If teams do choose to focus on those two, Simmons should excel as a short-roll playmaker finishing at the rim and finding cutters/spot-up shooters.

What is Steve Nash planning to do on offense and defense? Will we see a return to small-ball or will he trend towards a bigger, more traditional lineup? Will we heavily rely upon switching or will Nash play guys close to their natural positions where switching is optional? -@D_Rock_in_BKLYN 

On offense, I think we see some of both. Claxton should start as a traditional center for the Nets. Simmons will also see plenty of time at that spot, although I wouldn’t call that “small-ball”. That is the luxury that Simmons affords as a 6’11” athlete with generational versatility. Brooklyn can play him at center to maximize offense without sacrificing size in the lineup. What the Nets could use is a shooter in the frontcourt to complement Simmons when he acts as the primary ball handler. Markieff Morris is expected to fill that role, but he played just 17 games last year while battling injury and his shooting has tailed off the last three seasons. Morris shooting respectably from three in a small-ball center role would allow Simmons to handle the ball with greater room to operate. If Morris struggles from the outside, Brooklyn may be looking for an upgrade at that spot on the trade market.

Defensively, I would expect to continue to see a switch-heavy scheme. The Nets switched screens extremely frequently last season despite their lack of versatile defenders. They’re now adding Simmons, Harris, O’Neale, Warren, and more to the mix. Claxton is also quickly becoming one of the top perimeter-defending bigs in the league. There shouldn’t be many mismatches on the floor if this team stays healthy and is motivated defensively.

Will the organization still make one more move before training camp? Maybe get another center? -Orlando L.

The Nets have several moves to make before camp. Brooklyn still has three of its maximum 20 training camp spots open. One of those will be the team’s second two-way contract (undrafted rookie Alondes Williams took the first). Backup center and point guard are the biggest needs on the depth chart. I floated some free agents that make sense for the Nets at those spots in my last article: DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Dennis Schroder, and Eric Bledsoe. Addressing the center position should be a major priority. Nic Claxton has struggled to stay on the floor throughout his first three seasons. The Nets are currently limited to second-year big Day’Ron Sharpe and Morris if Claxton goes down. Brooklyn should be canvassing the market for a dependable, experienced backup who can eat regular season minutes. They could look to sign that player before camp or leave a roster spot open at the start of the season to address it in the coming months.