The Brooklyn Nets haven't enjoyed the best of fortunes since the departure of Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, winding up near the cellar of the Eastern Conference for the past three seasons.
The Nets have put up 21, 20, and 28 wins during the past three seasons, respectively, but head coach Kenny Atkinson doesn't consider this rebuilding effort under general Sean Marks a mere tank job, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
“No, because we’ve never talked about tanking,” Atkinson said. “Sean and I, I’m just going to be honest, internally we don’t use the word. We don’t talk about it. We talk about internal improvement. We talk about player development. We talk about culture, but tanking is not a word we use. It’s just not in our…I don’t think the fans in New York want to see that.”
Through the years, Marks has done a remarkable job of stockpiling picks and reaping talent through the draft, a strategy he intends to cash in during this upcoming 2019 free-agency window.
The Nets already have the most cap space of any team in the league, easily putting them in position to land two big-time free agents in the offseason. Though, Brooklyn will have to show some imminent improvement to make itself a desirable location for those looking to compete.
The Nets went from a 20-win team in 2017-18 to winning 28 games last season. If that same formula can be replicated and injuries can be avoided — an eight-to-10-game improvement could be what propels the team to that next step.
“That’s the dream, right, the quantum leap,” Atkinson said of the upcoming season. “I think that’s the big goal in the sky. I also think we’ve been making solid steps and solid improvements. I’d be happy with that too, but we understand what you’re saying about the quantum leap. I think our players see that it’s a possibility. I do think we have to come to it in a humble way too. We only won 28 games last year, an eight-game improvement, which is good and is hard in the NBA. I’d take another eight or 10-game improvement. That would be fantastic.”
A 36-win team shows a lot more promise than one scrapping to reach 30 (just ask LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who won 35 games last season). Given the talent and growth system put in place by Atkinson and Marks, that could be a feasible goal moving forward.
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