Fansided

5 Reasons the Brooklyn Nets won’t be the worst NBA team

By Jonathan Griggs

Apr 19, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and center Brook Lopez (11) react after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nets 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and center Brook Lopez (11) react after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nets 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The Brooklyn Nets won’t win many games this upcoming season, but here are five reasons why they won’t be the worst team in the NBA.

It’s a safe bet to make that the Brooklyn Nets won’t be contending for the Larry O’Brien Trophy during the 2016-17 NBA season. They certainly figure to be the among the worst teams in the league. With a total roster makeover of 10 new players (some of which you probably never heard of) and a rookie head coach, the Westgate Las Vegas Sports Book has pegged Brooklyn with the worst odds to win the title at 1000-1.

Even with the bleak outlook, here are five reasons why the 2016-17 Brooklyn Nets won’t be the worst team in the NBA.

Oct 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Ron Baker (31) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during second half at Barclays Center. The New York Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Ron Baker (31) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during second half at Barclays Center. The New York Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

5.)  Brook-Lin

The signing of Jeremy Lin not only gave the Nets a boost to their marketing efforts but also provided them with a legitimate point guard. Heading into last season, Jarrett Jack was expected to shoulder the load but a torn ACL on January 2nd left Brooklyn with a point guard rotation of Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan — two players now playing overseas in Spain and China respectively.

If this preseason was any indication, then the Nets may have gotten one of the better bargains in free agency this summer at $36M over three years for their new floor general. Lin averaged 17.2 points on 61.9 percent shooting in only 23.4 minutes during the exhibition season, but was most eye opening was the 50 percent (on 20 attempts) from beyond the arc. The last time Lin was united with coach Kenny Atkinson was during the 2011-12 season with the Knicks in which he averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 assists per 36 minutes — an era more commonly known as Linsanity.

The last time the Nets had a capable point guard, albeit a disappointing one in Deron Williams, was during the 2014-15 season. It was during the second half of that season in which Lopez flourished in the two-man pick-and-roll game with his floor general, averaging 19.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting and winning consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award honors during the stretch run to make the playoffs. With Lin in town, one can expect Lopez to get easier buckets this season.

Atkinson may have been featuring a motion offensive during the regular season with a heavy emphasis of three point shooting, but with Lopez manning the middle and the best skilled player on the roster, the Brook-Lin pick-and-roll figures to eventually be a staple of this offensive attack.

Home/Brooklyn Nets