The Brooklyn Nets have one of the top rosters in the NBA, but following a chaotic 2022 offseason, the league's general managers have different opinions on where the team will finish 2022-23.
NBA.com published the results of its annual GM survey Tuesday. One of the questions posed to the league's decision-makers: Which team’s level of success this season is toughest to predict? The results:
1. Brooklyn Nets – 32%
2. L.A. Lakers – 18%
3. Memphis Grizzlies – 14%
T-4. Chicago Bulls – 7%
T-4. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7%
T-4. New Orleans Pelicans – 7%
T-4. Philadelphia 76ers – 7%
It is not surprising to see the league's GMs struggle to project where Brooklyn stands this season. For the third consecutive year, the Nets stack up as one of the best teams in the league, at least on paper. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons present one of the NBA's top big threes. However, all three come into the season with serious question marks.
Irving's availability issues in recent seasons have significantly dropped his perceived value league-wide. This was evident in the lack of interest on the free agent and trade market this summer. Simmons sat all of last season and reportedly still had “mental hurdles to overcome” during Brooklyn's first-round series last postseason. That, among other things, led to Durant's trade request and ultimatum calling for head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks to be fired, which was promptly dismissed by owner Joe Tsai.
All of this would lead most to believe that a team with that amount of baggage could not succeed in a full season. Yet the league's top executives are still split on Brooklyn's fate this year, a testament to the overall talent and fit of the roster Marks assembled.
While the Nets were swept by the Celtics in the first round of last year's playoffs, they lost the four contests by a combined 18 points and led in the fourth quarter of both road games. This happened all while missing their third- and fourth-highest paid players in Simmons and Joe Harris. Durant spoke last week about his desire to finally see Brooklyn's roster at full strength.
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, we haven't been healthy at all for two years,” he said. “Each playoffs, we've had major guys just miss minutes. Not just role players, guys that make a lot of money. So when you got $50 million on your bench this last playoffs with Joe and Ben, and then playoffs before that. I want to see what our team looks like in full with guys being healthy and us having a little bit of continuity. So we'll see what happens.”
Brooklyn gets Simmons and Harris back this season, along with the acquisitions of Royce O'Neale, T.J. Warren, Markieff Morris and more. Simmons is an elite defender and replaces James Harden's playmaking ability alongside Durant and Irving. He can also play the 5 in small-ball lineups to maximize Brooklyn's offensive output. Harris offers elite shooting and added size on the wing. O'Neale adds size, high-level defense and floor spacing at a similar position. Warren, when healthy, can be a secondary shot creator and spot-up shooter with two-way ability at 6'8″.
These were the missing pieces for Brooklyn in the Boston series. Durant said at Media Day that he liked what Marks did this summer and spoke on the roster improvements last week.
“Were versatile,” he said. “We got bigger guys. Last year in the playoffs we played a lot of smaller guys under 6-4; a lot of them played against a big team in the Celtics. I think we got bigger as a group overall. And we’ve got a lot of IQ in the building as well. Royce played in some playoff stretches, Ben obviously, Seth. So we’ve got some playoff experience in here that’s going to help down the line.”
All of this makes it plausible that the Nets could leap back into title contention this season. The league's GMs ranked Brooklyn fourth in the Eastern Conference, with Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia first to third. Despite a star-studded, versatile roster, the sour taste from the Nets' tumultuous offseason lingers, and until they prove they can stick together through adversity, the skepticism will remain.
Other notables from the GM survey:
Kevin Durant voted best small forward
Durant was voted at the top of the position group for the second straight year. The 12-time All-Star averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game on 51.8 percent shooting last season. Those numbers earned him All-NBA honors for the 10th time in his career. The full results from the survey were:
1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn – 45%
2. Jayson Tatum, Boston – 24%
3. Luka Doncic, Dallas – 17%
4. LeBron James, L.A. Lakers – 10%
5. Kawhi Leonard, LA Clippers – 3%
Nets voted third for most fun teams to watch
The Nets ranked third this year after topping the vote last season. Brooklyn has two of the top isolation scorers in NBA history in Durant and Irving. The roster features six shooters near or above 40 percent from 3-point range for their careers, all surrounding a 6'11” playmaker in Simmons. Warren is also a fun addition as an established three-level scorer.
Brooklyn will play at a faster pace with Simmons orchestrating the break this season. His playmaking ability, along with the Nets' stockpile of sharpshooters, should lead to a run-and-gun style with plenty of transition triples, dunks and lobs.
Making things happen pic.twitter.com/5KoV1IMtVs
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 4, 2022
The Nets dropped from 26 nationally televised games last season to 13 this year with the threat of Durant and Irving's departure. With both returning, and Simmons taking the floor again, expect Brooklyn to be flexed to prime-time action often. The full results from the survey were:
1. Golden State Warriors – 52%
2. Memphis Grizzlies – 28%
3. Brooklyn Nets – 10%
» Also receiving votes: Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors
» Last year: Brooklyn Nets – 30%
Follow Us
Subscribe