Sunday, October 11, 2015

The Nets will be better than expected

Going into this season the Nets starting five consists of Jarrett Jack, Markel Brown, Joe Johnson, Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez. For this team I like the front court. It is a solid front court that I think will be able to compete with just about any team. As for the back court that is where the Nets might struggle. Jarrett Jack is a reliable back up point guard, but I don't think he is the best starting point guard, especially when that position is the deepest in the NBA. On any given night Jack will most likely be out played at his position. Also Jack tends to turn over the ball a lot. That isn't something you want to see from a veteran point guard. And for the shooting guard spot it is really up in the air. If Markel Brown worked on his game this summer to incorporate a jump shot he could become a "three and d" guy for the Nets. Bojan Bogdanovic could also be incorporated into the starting line up providing an offensive spark, but he doesn't have the same defensive ability as Markel Brown. The Nets best bet may be to move Johnson back to the shooting guard position and inserting Rondae Hollis-Jefferson into the starting line up.

Photo Credit: Nathaniel Butler
This will provide the Nets with an athletic wing that can guard arguably the toughest position in the NBA. Many people said the Hollis-Jefferson has the ability to become just like Tony Allen. If he could guard the opposing teams be players on a nightly basis and hold them to 20 points or less then the Nets would be able to compete in games against the best teams. Hollis-Jefferson's flaw is that he can't shoot. He has the ability to finish at the basket, but he might be the guy that teams will sag of off to double in the post on Lopez or Young. This may hinder the Nets offensive game plan, but Lionel Hollins has had success with a team built very similar to this Nets team and that is the Memphis Grizzlies. Young and Lopez may not be the same defenders as Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, but they definitely have the same offensive ability. If Young can shoot the three ball about the same or better than he did for the Nets last season then Hollis-Jefferson could do more of the slashing and Young could spot up. Either way I think Hollins will go with the lineup of Jack, Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson, Young and Lopez around mid December if not earlier.

Photo Credit: Alex Goodlett
I can't say the Nets will definitely make the playoffs this year, but they will definitely compete for the last two seeds. I can't see this team doing much worse than last season. Nothing has really changed and the were able to get rid of Deron Williams. Plus a full season with Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez together can lead to good things. I think if Billy King can pull off just one trade to get the Nets a young and talented starting point guard this season they will be able to squeeze into the playoffs. There are plenty of teams that have multiple points guards on their roster and they might not be able to share the floor. The Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons are two teams that come to mind. There are many other teams in the NBA that have a back up point guard who can be a serviceable starting point guard for the Nets. It's not to say that Jarrett Jack isn't a good player, but he is better off coming off the bench than starting. There's a reason why Deron Williams was starting games over him at the end of last season.

For the most part I like what the Nets have done with the team so far. They were able to get a bunch of young guys on the team and they kept most of last years team intact. I don't think they should look to make any other moves this season unless it is for a point guard or a superstar player. Otherwise they should just keep this team together and let them develop. Next summer will be the time for the Nets to add more talent to the roster. But for now considering everyone has played with each other for quite sometime I think the Nets chemistry could lead them to some extra wins this season.

No comments:

Post a Comment