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The Brooklyn Nets approach 2022 training camp as a new-look team with several additions primed to provide a shakeup to the starting lineup. Brooklyn’s starting five in the final game of last season featured Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Bruce Brown, Kevin Durant, and Andre Drummond.
Irving and Durant are locks to return as starters this year. Ben Simmons will slot in alongside the duo after sitting out last season. Brown and Drummond departed in free agency. Nic Claxton is expected to replace Drummond at center after signing a two-year, $20 million contract this offseason.
That leaves one remaining spot. Seth Curry returns this year after starting all 19 of his games in Brooklyn last season following the James Harden trade. Curry was productive while battling injury down the stretch, averaging 14.9 PPG on 46.8 percent shooting from three. Despite this, it would not be surprising to see the Nets go in another direction this season.
Seth Curry
Ben Simmons is expected to handle the ball frequently in Brooklyn’s starting lineup. This would push Irving to Curry’s spot at shooting guard, a position where the seven-time all-star had great success alongside Harden. Joe Harris returns after missing last year with an ankle injury and the Nets acquired Royce O’Neale from Utah this offseason. Harris started 65 games for Brooklyn in 2020-2021 and O’Neale started 210 games for Utah over the last three seasons.
The Nets struggled to match up with bigger lineups with an Irving (6'2″), Curry (6'2″) backcourt late last season. This was evident as Boston overwhelmed Brooklyn with their length and athleticism in a first-round sweep. Harris (6’6”) and O’Neale (6’5”) provide the size and defensive versatility the Nets were missing in the series. Similar to Curry, Harris is among the elite shooters in the NBA. Both have shot nearly the exact same percentage from three (43.9) in their careers. O’Neale is also respectable at 38.1 percent.
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O'Neale and Harris should battle for the starting spot on the wing. Harris provides the same high-level floor spacing as Curry while being able to match up with bigger wings defensively. O’Neale isn’t the same caliber of a shooter as Harris or Curry but presents the best defender of the group by far, frequently covering the opposing team’s best player while in Utah.
A starting five of Simmons, Irving, Harris/O’Neale, Durant, and Claxton is a significant upgrade defensively to the lineup from last year's playoffs. For that reason, it should not be a surprise if Curry were to move to the bench this season.
This isn’t to say Curry won’t play a major role for the Nets in 2022-2023. The sharpshooter ranked sixth in the league in three-point percentage last season and presents a competent secondary playmaker off the dribble. The Nets could utilize Curry alongside Harris when they want to maximize shooting. A lineup of Irving, Curry, Harris, Durant, and Simmons would feature four 40 percent three-point shooters surrounding a 6’11” playmaker in Simmons.
That is the luxury that additions like Simmons, Harris and O’Neale afford: extreme flexibility and versatility when crafting lineups. However, for Curry, they could also mean a quick end to his starting role in Brooklyn.
