Last season began with championship expectations for the Brooklyn Nets, thanks to the headline additions of three future Hall of Fame stars: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on the court, and Jason Kidd on the sidelines.
However – less than a year later – Kidd has burned his Brooklyn bridge with the Nets, Pierce signed with the Wizards this summer and Garnett is coming off the worst statistical season of his career.
Furthermore, key role players such as Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche and Marcus Thornton are all gone.
The Nets are counting on Jarrett Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mason Plumlee to replace the production of Livingston, Thornton and Blatche while Lionel Hollins takes over for Kidd. Heading into this season there is considerably less buzz in Brooklyn and there isn’t a peep of championship talk from ownership, which may be looking to sell the team.
With that in mind, here are five questions the Nets must answer if there’s going to be playoff basketball in Brooklyn for the third consecutive season.
1. What can be expected from Deron Williams?
Williams has had a target on his back since inking a five-year, $100 million deal to be the face of the franchise.
Since coming over from Utah, Williams has dealt with numerous injuries to his wrist and both ankles that have hindered his shooting ability and explosiveness as a premier point guard.
After clamoring for more pick-and-roll sets in the past under former coaches Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo and Jason Kidd, Williams should finally get his wish under Hollins.
A healthy Brook Lopez will also go a long way in Williams’ ability to be a playmaker since the big man has the ability to roll to the basket or pick-and-pop for a jump shot.
If Lopez pops, it gives Williams more room to attack the basket and drive without a big man in the paint because that defender must respect Lopez’s shot. If Lopez rolls, Williams has a knack for threading the needle to a cutter when the opportunity presents itself – it was one of the main reasons he averaged over 10 assists per game four times in his career.
Ultimately, the biggest concern has always been the health of Williams. If he can stay healthy – a big if – there’s no reason why he can’t have a big year in Hollins’ offense at age 30. If Mike Conley could become a borderline All-Star in Hollins’ system, Williams will have every chance to return to his All-Star form, too.
2. Will Brook Lopez take the next step in his development?
When healthy, Lopez has proven to be one of the best offensive centers in the game, shooting 51 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line while averaging 18 points over his career. He has a good chance of succeeding in Hollins’ system thanks to his skill set, according to one NBA scout.
“Heavy pick-and-rolls and post ups late in the shot clock,” the scout told SheridanHoops.
Lopez has always been a good finisher around the rim thanks to a deft touch. His range has expanded every year since entering the league. Last season, I routinely saw Lopez sinking 3-pointers with ease from both corners and from the top of the key during pregame shootarounds.
However, Lopez has always left something to be desired as a rebounder. Despite being a 7-footer, he never has averaged more than 6.9 rebounds per game over the past four seasons.
Similar to Williams, the key for Lopez will be his health. In a league with a dearth of talent at center, Lopez is a rare All-Star talent at the position.
3. Does Kevin Garnett have anything left in the tank?
Garnett will become the fourth player in league history – joining Kevin Willis, Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – to suit up for 20 or more seasons.
Last season, the once-nimble forward looked stuck in quicksand guarding power forwards and lacked confidence on the offensive end in a complementary role for the first time in his career.
However, that hasn’t stopped Hollins from declaring Garnett will have a larger role heading into this season as the starting power forward. The coach expects Garnett to play more than the 20-minute per game limit previously allotted by Kidd.
In fact, Hollins deemed his forward to be in “great shape” at the outset of training camp.
Garnett could play the role of Marc Gasol in the high post for brief stretches thanks to his above-average passing skills and ability to knock down the elbow jumper.
After being around Hollins at the start of training camp, Garnett was optimistic about the upcoming season and playing for his “old school” coach.
“Lionel’s system might fit me better just because it’s parallel to some of the things we did up in Boston,” Garnett said. “I don’t really see myself as a primary option, that’s just the reality. I still have something to give to the game and to this team, and my mindset has always been to be better than I was last year or to be better than I was yesterday.”
RELATED: Garnett gives no clues on retirement as he enters 20th season
4. What changes will coach Lionel Hollins make?
Joe Johnson joked during Media Day that the Nets practiced, but didn’t really practice under Kidd. Hollins will be an abrupt change as a disciplinarian and a coach who isn’t afraid of confronting players when they aren’t giving maximum effort or are individually underperforming.
“He’s a defensive first coach,” an NBA scout told SheridanHoops. “He’s pretty fluid on offense. There’s not a lot of standing around.”
Hollins’ biggest tasks will be to get the most out of Williams and Lopez, who’ve battled injuries in recent seasons, maximize Garnett’s minutes and find a consistent fifth starter in his rotation.
Jarrett Jack is expected to come off the bench, which leaves the door open for Alan Anderson to crack the starting rotation at shooting guard with Johnson remaining at small forward.
If Hollins goes with a bigger lineup, Johnson could shift to shooting guard with Andrei Kirilenko, Bojan Bogdanovic or Mirza Teletovic starting at small forward.
5. Will management make any moves?
During his Brooklyn tenure, Billy King has proven he’s not afraid to shake up his roster with a trade.
In years past, King has targeted teams in rebuilding situations with a star player such as Williams in Utah, Johnson in Atlanta and Garnett and Pierce with the Celtics. Thanks to Brooklyn’s unmatched financial resources of owner Mikhail Prokhorov, King has more leeway to take on salary if the right deal presents itself. However, that trend could be shifting as the team declined to bring back Pierce despite owning his Bird Rights this summer.
RELATED: Nets salaries and analysis
In recent years, there have been numerous trade rumors regarding Lopez’s availability – most notably during trade talks for Dwight Howard.
Does that mean King is willing to trade Lopez in the hopes of jump-starting a rebuilding process early? It’s unlikely based on the expectations of ownership, but it is a scenario that could be explored nonetheless.
It would be out of character for King if a deal wasn’t made by the trade deadline. With that in mind, Lopez appears to be his most desirable trade asset.
PREDICTION: Brooklyn will reach the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
READ EVERY TEAM’S SEASON PREVIEW WITH OUR INDEX
Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
I visited many websites but the audio feature for audio songs present at thiks website is truly
superb.
Hello there, You have done a great job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
I’m confident they will be benefited from this site.