Wings, wings, and more wings. That should have been on the mind of any Nets fan that watched Brooklyn’s first-round sweep against the Boston Celtics last postseason. One roster flaw trumped all others for Brooklyn during the sweep: The Nets were too small and unathletic.

Three Nets starters from the series stood 6’4” or under. Boston had only one starter under 6'6”: defensive player of the year Marcus Smart. The Celtics roster was comprised of sizable, athletic defenders that overwhelmed Kevin Durant and his supporting cast of undersized guards.

Not only did the Nets fail to match up with Boston’s lineup of versatile forwards, but they did not field a single player that fits that description. Of Brooklyn’s eight rotation players during the series, not one stood between 6’4” and 6’9”. That isn’t a recipe for success against a Boston team featuring a pair of all-star wings in Jayson Tatum (6’8”) and Jaylen Brown (6’6”). The same goes for Milwaukee with Giannis Antetokounmpo (6’11”) and Khris Middleton (6’7”), as well as Miami with Jimmy Butler (6’7”).

It became apparent during the postseason that if Brooklyn hoped to compete with the juggernauts atop the Eastern Conference, adding size, versatility and athleticism was a must.

Ben Simmons, the most significant reinforcement in the area, was already on Brooklyn’s bench during the Boston series. At 6’11”, the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection presents a talent unlike any other in Nets franchise history. Joe Harris will also return on the wing after missing last season with an ankle injury. But General Manager Sean Marks would not rest on those arrivals when addressing the hole in his roster this summer.

He began the offseason by trading a first-round pick to Utah for Royce O’Neale. The 6’5” wing started 210 games for Utah over the last three seasons, frequently guarding the opposing team’s best player while shooting 38.4% from three.

Marks then signed T.J. Warren from Indiana. Warren played just four games in the last two seasons after undergoing surgery to repair a navicular stress fracture in his left foot. However, the 6’8” wing/PF was among the breakout players in the league in 2019-2020, averaging 19.8 PPG on 40.3% shooting from three. The North Carolina State product made significant strides as a perimeter defender in his last full season and comes to Brooklyn on the veteran minimum.

The Nets also inked Yuta Watanabe to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. The 6’9” Japan native played 88 games for Toronto over the last two seasons, flashing his defensive capabilities while shooting 37.3% from three in a reserve role. Edmond Sumner also signed with Brooklyn after four seasons in Indiana. The 26-year-old is listed as a PG/SG but fits the theme of added size and versatility at 6'6″ with above-average athleticism.

After having zero rotation players that fit the classification of a wing (aside from Kevin Durant) during the Boston series, Brooklyn’s lineup at the position now features:

Ben Simmons

Joe Harris

Royce O’Neale

T.J. Warren

Yuta Watanabe

Kessler Edwards

The average height of this group: 6’8”. Average wingspan: 6’10”. That’s a major upgrade from a team that had Kyrie Irving (6’2”), Seth Curry (6’2”) and Patty Mills (6’0”) sharing the floor against Boston.

There is still work to be done when filling out Brooklyn’s roster. Backup point guard and depth at center stick out as pressing needs. The Nets will possess a series of trade chips during the season that features Harris, Curry, Mills, Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and three future first-round picks.

The roster will likely undergo another shakeup before the playoffs, but the moves made to this point move Brooklyn closer toward competing with the physicality of teams like Boston, Milwaukee, Miami and Philadelphia.

The supporting cast is there for Durant and Irving. Whether the internal dysfunction that has plagued the duo's time in Brooklyn has been put to rest remains to be seen.