Brooklyn Nets 2024-25 season preview: The race for the NBA's worst document has begun

The 2024-25 NBA season is right here! We’re breaking down the most important questions, best- and worst-case eventualities, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 groups. Get pleasure from!

2023-24 end

Offseason strikes

• Additions: Head coach Jordi Fernandez, Bojan Bogdanović, Shake Milton, Ziaire Williams

• Subtractions: Mikal Bridges, Lonnie Walker IV, Keita Bates-Diop, Dennis Smith Jr.

• Complete roster

The Huge Query: Who’s even on these Nets in two years?

The Brooklyn Nets are a crew in transition. Lengthy gone are Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. So, too, is Mikal Bridges, their finest participant from final season’s 32-win crew. Of their place are Ben Simmons, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and a group of draft picks that might at some point bear fruit.

Not today, although. Simmons has performed 57 video games over the previous three seasons, principally poorly. Johnson and Finney-Smith are placeholders. Don’t be stunned if one or each are traded for extra draft property. The objective now: Pray that a number of of these picks — their very own or another person’s — turns into The Man.

Because of this they swapped a bunch of picks from the Phoenix Suns to get again the rights to their very own in 2025 and 2026 from the Houston Rockets. They may not have signaled their need to tank any louder. They need the NBA’s worst document, which may ship Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey on the prime of the draft.

Within the meantime, they need to consider what few prospects they’ve. In recent times they’ve drafted Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead within the first spherical. Thomas is the closest factor the Nets must a dependable scoring risk, although that is likely to be as a result of he’s the one keen to take all the photographs. Can he enhance his effectivity sufficient to persuade us that his output will translate to successful basketball?

Clowney is a giant who bounced forwards and backwards from the G League final season. Can he shoot nicely sufficient to justify enjoying him alongside beginning heart Nicolas Claxton? If not, can Clowney make sufficient of an impression that they think about transferring the four-year, $97 million deal to which they only signed Claxton?

Foot and shin surgical procedures value Whitehead virtually the whole lot of his rookie season. Can the 6-foot-7 Duke product rediscover the potential that made him the top-ranked wing in the highschool Class of 2022?

Don’t waste time making an attempt to win video games with Dennis Schröder and Bojan Bogdanović. Taking fliers on Killian Hayes and Ziaire Williams, a pair of latest top-10 picks who didn’t succeed with the groups that drafted them, was sensible enterprise. Why not see if they’ll resurrect their worth whereas the losses mount?

After which there’s Simmons. He’s the one one on the roster who has sniffed an All-Star crew, and he made three of them — earlier than his again gave out, he misplaced his confidence or each. He completed runner-up for Defensive Participant of the Yr three years in the past. Is any of that also in him? He’s 28 years outdated. This previous season, he averaged a 9-12-9 per 36 minutes in 15 video games and barely made a blip on the radar. His profession has probably the most weird arcs in league historical past. He’s within the ultimate yr of a max contract. Is he even a minimum-salaried participant subsequent season? On the very least we must always know the reply to that by April.

As for who’s even on this roster in two years, who is aware of? That’s for them to determine this season.

Greatest-case state of affairs

Thomas is legit. Possibly Whitehead is, too. Clowney is a stretch 4 who can play with Claxton, and the 2 of them collectively may very well be the muse of a stout protection. The Nets discover takers for Johnson and Finney-Smith, including to their draft stash. By some means, Simmons finds peace together with his basketball profession. And the crew is totally horrible, so unhealthy that they land sufficient pingpong balls to attain Flagg.

If all the pieces falls aside

No person is all that good, however the Nets strive like hell. First-year head coach Jordi Fernandez turns into enamored together with his veterans, slapping collectively Schröder and Johnson and Finney-Smith and Bogdanović and Claxton and scrapping their solution to one other 30 wins — sufficient to fall late into the lottery. And we’re proper again right here once more subsequent season in the identical predicament, questioning who even belongs in Brooklyn.

Fantasy spin

Thomas is in for a breakout season. The 23-year-old bucket-getter was one of four guards 23 and underneath to common a minimum of 20 factors per sport final season, with a 30% utilization charge. Add in his evolving playmaking, and he is an upside decide within the sixth spherical.

Claxton is an effective supply of blocks, rebounds and FG%, whereas Johnson will look to construct off a disappointing and injury-riddled season. Johnson completed 128th in per-game worth primarily as a result of his effectivity dipped throughout the board.

Clowney is an intriguing late-round flier, however he’ll grow to be extra invaluable as soon as the Nets absolutely decide to the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Schröder can have his moments, too, and I’ve extra religion in him contributing this season than Simmons. — Dan Titus

2024-25 schedule

Regardless of the quantity, take the underneath.