The Brooklyn Nets are just over a week away from opening night. The team has a pair of preseason games under its belt with two more coming this week as anticipation for regular season action builds.
With that, I took some questions from NetsWorld in the second edition of my Nets mailbag.
Who is most likely to be in the starting five between Harris, Royce, Seth & Warren (when they are cleared to play again)? -@HmitrakaAllen
The competition for the final starting spot appears to have been between Joe Harris and Royce O'Neale from the jump. Seth Curry and T.J. Warren are both still returning from injuries. Head coach Steve Nash said he hopes Curry will be ready for opening night while Warren is “a ways away” and will be re-evaluated in November. Even if Curry is healthy, Brooklyn struggled defensively with him in the backcourt alongside Kyrie Irving, making Harris and O'Neale the best options on the wing.
Harris has the initial edge over O'Neale. The seventh-year Net started Brooklyn's preseason opener and fills a major need as an elite shooter alongside Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton. His ability to shoot off movement opens the offensive playbook and adds much-needed spacing with two non-shooters in the lineup. O'Neale is an above-average three-point shooter at 38.1 percent for his career but does not offer the same ability to shoot off the move. The 29-year-old does offer hard-nosed defense alongside Durant, Simmons, and Claxton that could make the Nets' starting lineup one of the better defensive groups in the league.
No one embodies the journey of this team more than our longest-tenured player.
It's a special run for Brooklyn. It's a special run for Joe Harris. pic.twitter.com/AWeheSG7ug
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 4, 2021
This conversation is complicated by soreness in Harris' surgically-repaired ankle. Harris sat out of Brooklyn's preseason game Thursday and missed practice Saturday. Nash said this was just precautionary, but the team has a track record of downplaying injuries, making the development something to seriously monitor. O'Neale started in place of Harris Thursday and should continue to as long as he is sidelined. Expect both to be the lead candidates for the final starting spot as we approach opening night.
Does Sean Marks have another trade up his sleeve? Or is this roster near complete for this season? -Robert L
This roster is not complete. The spacing issues with Simmons and Claxton sharing the floor raise serious concerns. Simmons will be at his best with maximum space to attack the paint and finish or dish to teammates. Brooklyn will play him at the five in small-ball lineups that should have great success offensively. However, these groups will struggle to match up with the size of teams such as Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia, making a floor-spacing center an important need.
That is the area I'd look for Marks to address on the trade market. Myles Turner has long been linked to Brooklyn as a high-level two-way center. Mo Bamba is another talented stretch big who could be on the move at some point. I broke down both in my last article. Victor Wembanyama's dazzling display in Las Vegas last week has teams clamoring at the prospect of landing the big man. This could open up the tank race this season, incentivizing struggling teams to make veterans available.
The Nets have trade chips to work with this year. Joe Harris ($18.6M) should garner interest on the market. Seth Curry ($8.5M) and Nic Claxton ($8.5M) are on solid value deals that could be used to match salary in a trade. Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe are intriguing young prospects for rebuilding teams. And the Nets have a pair of first-round draft picks at their disposal. Expect Marks to be active and get creative as he looks to address needs down the line.
What are the best Nets lineups for Cam Thomas to be a part of? How many starters should he play with? -@co1inbrady
Thomas' ceiling this season hinges on his development in an off-ball role. The first-round pick is a gifted scorer, but Simmons, Durant and Irving are going to dominate the ball on most nights. Brooklyn will be looking for two primary skills in role players: shooting and defense. Both were weaknesses for Thomas in his rookie season. The 20-year-old shot 27.0 percent from three and struggled with his understanding of defensive rotations. He will need to improve in those areas if he wants to become a significant part of Brooklyn's rotation.
Despite this, the guard's ball-handling ability should have him in the conversation for the backup point guard spot, along with Edmond Sumner and Patty Mills. Thomas handling the ball with Simmons at the five and three shooters surrounding them is an intriguing lineup. The LSU product excels as a mind-range scorer while probing in the pick-and-roll. He orchestrated a solid two-man game with LaMarcus Aldridge down the stretch of a 28-point comeback win over the Knicks last year. However, along with improving his three-point shooting, Thomas will need to focus on creating for his teammates in the point guard role. Both are areas he identified as points of emphasis from Brooklyn's coaches this summer.
“I'd probably say those are the two main things that they want me to work on,” Thomas said at Media Day. “Three-point shooting, getting that more efficient, and then making plays with the ball in my hands for others. I've just been working on those two things mainly and I think it has been going really well.”
Thomas is a very talented player, but his top skill is not an area of need for Brooklyn. He'll need to embrace a complementary role and commit to improving his weaknesses to make an impact this season.
Will Markieff Morris and Yuta Watanabe make the Nets roster? -@HmitrakaAllen
Morris is a lock to make the roster and I would expect him to serve as Brooklyn's backup center to start the season. Day'Ron Sharpe has not looked up to the part in two preseason games and the Nets need a stretch big to open the floor for Simmons. Reports said owner Joe Tsai made a personal recruiting pitch to Morris this summer and Marks has been vocal about the 33-year-old's leadership presence.
“I think what he’s done in the past speaks for itself,” Marks said at Media Day. “With the toughness that he’s going to bring to our group. We needed veteran leadership. He’s vocal and I love that. Somebody who’s not afraid, not just to hold people accountable, but to bring the group together.”
As for Watanabe, I would be very surprised if he doesn't make the cut come opening night. NBA teams are allowed 15 standard contracts along with a pair of two-way deals during the season. Brooklyn has 14 players who are locks to make the roster on standard deals. Alondes Williams and David Duke Jr. are locked in as the two-ways. That leaves Watanabe, Chris Chiozza, RaiQuan Gary and Noah Kirkwood. Gary and Kirkwood won't factor into the equation and will likely land in Long Island. Watanabe should be seen as a heavy favorite to land the final spot over Chiozza.
At 6'9″ and a 35.2 percent career shooter from three, Watanabe has a valuable skillset as a three and D wing in a reserve role. He impressed in Brooklyn's preseason opener, scoring 10 points and grabbing four rebounds in 16 minutes. Chiozza is undersized at 5'11” and would not factor into the Nets' rotation conversation this year. Expect Watanabe to fill the final roster spot as a solid backup option this season.
Quick reminder…@wacchi1013 is FEARLESS pic.twitter.com/0gEMbD1plz
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2021
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