Brooklyn enters the All-Star break a vastly different team than originally projected on paper. Since the start of 2014 – and after hitting rock bottom with a 113-92 loss to the Spurs on New Year’s Eve, Brooklyn is 14-6 since the calendar turned.
The Good:
1. Brooklyn’s New Identity: After struggling to find offensive cohesion among Brook Lopez, Garnett, Pierce, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, the Nets have become a small ball team with the loss of Lopez for the season.
With Lopez healthy, rookie coach Jason Kidd would routinely feature him as the primary option, running isolation post-ups on the block. If Lopez was covered, Johnson became the second option while isolated on the opposite wing.
While Lopez led the team in scoring (20.7 ppg) and blocks (1.8), there was a routine lack of ball movement as his teammates would watch him back down a defender multiple times while waiting along the perimeter in case a double-team swarmed.
When Lopez was lost for the season on Dec. 20, the Nets were 9-17. Since then, Brooklyn has gone 15-10.
Garnett has reluctantly moved to center where he revived his career at the end of his days with the Celtics. Since the position change, Garnett has shot the ball more effectively in January (.578) and through the All-Star break in February (.579).
Pierce moved to power forward for the first time in his career and has shot the ball at his best clip since joining the Nets. In February, he is shooting efficiently from the field (.544) and downtown (.480).
2. Bench: Andray Blatche, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston and Mirza Teletovic have all made huge contributions off the bench.
Blatche has anchored the second unit, averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds with an efficient PER (19.84). Kirilenko, the Swiss army knife of the unit, makes an impact with his passing, rebounding, shot blocking and defending while alternating between the small and power forward positions. The Nets are 15-7 when he plays.
Livingston has shown flashes of why he was originally selected fourth overall in the 2004 draft before a devastating knee injury derailed his career. He has become the primary ballhandler and has played alongside Deron Williams in the team’s latest starting lineup.
Teletovic has made the most of his chance to show why he was considered among the top European players before signing with Brooklyn, ranking fifth among power forwards in 3-point percentage (.395).
The Bad:
1. Injuries: The injury bug has bitten Lopez, Williams, Garnett and Kirilenko – among others – slowing the team’s chemistry development throughout the season.
With Lopez out for the season, the Nets no longer have a dominant post presence to combat the team’s two biggest rivals, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Miami’s Chris Bosh.
In a point guard’s league, Williams – with his troublesome ankles – remains a shell of the floor general who was once considered among the best with Chris Paul as recently as three seasons ago.
Garnett has his lowest career numbers across the board while limited by a minutes restriction and not being able to play in some back-to-back games. Kirilenko has also missed 29 games due to injury.
2. Declining Stars: Garnett (6.8 ppg) and Pierce (13.5 ppg) have scored at the lowest rate of their careers due to a decline in skill and minutes while deferring to Lopez, Johnson and Williams as the go-to scorers for a large portion of the season.
On the other hand, Williams was expected to be the face of the franchise and the best player on the team when he re-signed for a maximum contract. But he is putting up his lowest averages in points (13.3) and assists (6.6) since his rookie season.
If the Nets are going to make noise in the playoffs and challenge the Pacers and Heat, Brooklyn will need Garnett and Pierce to continue to become more assertive and hope Williams gets healthy and regains his form.
The Ugly:
1. Lawrence Frank: With Kidd entering his first season as a coach, he hand-picked Frank as his lead assistant. Frank was expected to be the guide to help quicken Kidd’s transition to the bench.
However, this was far from an ideal match. Kidd’s tentative approach coupled with Frank’s intensity created a clash in personalities before the season even began. It ultimately resulted in Frank’s demotion to writing daily reports.
2. Brook Lopez’s Injury: Many great centers have seen their careers derailed and end prematurely due to foot injuries, such as Bill Walton, Yao Ming and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The good news is that Lopez is still only 25 and does not play above the rim.
Lopez routinely worked on his shooting range during pregame warm-ups since the team moved to Brooklyn. Once healthy, Lopez can alleviate pressure on his foot by taking more jump shots against relaxed defenders.
The Future:
Brooklyn returns from the break on a six-game road trip to begin the team’s final 31 games.
The Nets are even in the loss column with the Wizards for the sixth seed, which would allow them to avoid a dreaded first-round matchup with the Pacers or Heat.
Brooklyn is 3 1/2 games behind Toronto for the Atlantic Division lead and the third seed in the playoffs. If the Raptors trade Kyle Lowry, Brooklyn’s chances of claiming that spot would dramatically increase, but it’s an unlikely move at this time.
The Nets should be able to claim the fifth seed by leapfrogging an inexperienced Wizards team that has not made the playoffs since 2008 season and a banged-up Hawks team that is without its best player, Al Horford, for the rest of the season.
The Grade: B-minus
Michael Scotto is a Sheridan Hoops NBA columnist. You can follow him on Twitter.