Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash announced ahead of their preseason opener that Joe Harris and Nic Claxton would start alongside Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons.

Claxton moves into the starting center role following the departure of Andre Drummond. Harris gets the nod Monday as Brooklyn's last starter, a spot that has been a question mark entering this season. The 31-year-old has started all but four of his games played over the last four seasons.

Royce O'Neale and Seth Curry are the other candidates for the final starting spot. Both will play important roles in Brooklyn's rotation and have experience as starters. Curry started all 17 of his games with Brooklyn last season, averaging 14.9 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting from three while battling an ankle injury. However, the Nets struggled defensively with Curry (6'2″) and Irving (6'2″) sharing the floor, leaving Harris and O'Neale as better options to start on the wing in 2022-23.

O'Neale started 210 of 219 games with the Utah Jazz over the last three seasons, carving out a valuable complementary role. The 29-year-old is an exceptional defender, frequently guarding the opposition's top scorer with the Jazz. He is also a high-level three-point shooter at 38.1 percent for his career.

Brooklyn's starting lineup will be above-average defensively with the length of Durant (6'10”), Simmons (6'11”) and Claxton (6'11”) in the frontcourt. However, the fit of Simmons and Claxton as non-shooters alongside one another is cause for concern. This presents a need for elite floor spacing at the final starting spot.

While O'Neale is an above-average three-point shooter, Harris is far superior at 43.9 percent for his career. More importantly, Harris is a high-level movement shooter, frequently knocking down shots off curls, flare screens, pin-downs, and more. This ability garners greater attention on the perimeter compared to O'Neale, who is more comfortable on set shots. And while not the same defensive talent as O'Neale, Harris still offers increased size as a defender and rebounder at 6'6″.

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This makes the seventh-year Net the logical choice for the Nets' final starting spot. Despite this, O'Neale's three-and-D ability will earn him a substantial role in Brooklyn this season. The team should feature Harris and O'Neale alongside one another frequently in closing lineups.

Steve Nash did not comment on when he would name official starters for the regular season. Monday will mark Joe Harris' first game action since November of last year. It also marks Ben Simmons' first game appearance in 470 days and the first time that the three-time All-Star will share the floor with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.