Led by Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez, the Brooklyn Nets bagged the last trip to the 2015 NBA Playoffs. Sadly, they went down in the first round. That was the last time Brooklyn fans saw their Nets team went past the regular season.
With Lopez traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, no one was left of that Brooklyn Nets roster -- not even one from its coaching staff remains. And after three successive yet unsuccessful trips to the playoffs, the Nets plunged into the depths of the team standings, placing 27th and 30th during the last two seasons.
Good thing for the Brooklyn Nets, there’s only one way to go now.
New acquisitions
Many basketball experts and game analysts predict another miserable season for the Brooklyn Nets. But D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired via the Lopez trade, disagrees. Though he did not promise an immediate trip to the NBA Playoffs, he talks about confidence; and he talks about players coming in with an edge.
Since acquiring Russell along with center Timofey Mozgov from the LA Lakers, the Nets have also acquired DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe, all potential starters. These four are expected to play big roles in rebuilding the Brooklyn Nets franchise. Yet, are they enough to bring the team past the regular season?
Jeremy Lin, who is coming off an injury-plagued season, believes that with the new talents the team acquired via these trades, the Nets are bound to reach the playoffs now. Since missing 44 of the team’s 56 games due to a recurring hamstring injury, Lin has played 24 of the team’s last 26 games. He even registered his second best scoring average output since his Linsanity days in New York.
Rebuilding the Brooklyn Nets
In an interview with SB Nation during the NBA Summer League back in July, head coach Kenny Atkinson shared his blueprint for rebuilding the Brooklyn Nets. He likened the process to a marathon and emphasized the importance of establishing a timeline. This is why they traded Brook Lopez for D’Angelo Russell, as they plan to put him as the centerpiece of rebuilding the franchise.
Atkinson believes the complete rehabilitation of the franchise goes hand in hand with Russell, who was looking for a fresh new start. The Nets' current roster has an average age of 24.8 with Russell as second youngest at 21 years old. Atkinson hopes to jumpstart a fresh new program and establish team chemistry and cohesiveness among the fresh new blood of the Brooklyn Nets.
