If the Nets’ objective was to tank for increased draft place in 2024-25, they haven’t accomplished a fantastic job of it via their first 10 video games. Led by first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, they’ve been extremely aggressive in virtually each sport they’ve performed this season. They went toe-to-toe with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend and have misplaced 4 video games by 5 factors or much less.
The Nets missed the playoffs in 2023-24 however could be a seventh seed within the Japanese Convention if the season ended Monday afternoon. And if the workforce continues to enhance quickly beneath Fernandez, touchdown prime 2025 prospects reminiscent of Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Egor Demin and Dylan Harper might be practically unimaginable. Normal supervisor Sean Marks could be pressured to take the franchises rebuild in a distinct path.
“It virtually occurred Saturday evening and instructed — not for the primary time this season — that the Nets is likely to be a little bit bit extra competent on the court docket than the entrance workplace actually desires them to be after reacquiring full management of Brooklyn’s 2025 and 2026 draft picks from Houston [Rockets],” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote in his intel dump.
Veterans reminiscent of Dennis Schröder, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith proceed to play key roles within the Nets’ shocking surge and Marks might have seen sufficient. In accordance with Stein, groups across the league expect the Nets to make Schröder, Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović accessible for trades earlier than the February deadline.
“Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović are all high quality vets possessing sub-$20 million salaries and steadily talked about by rival groups as gamers they anticipate to be moved between now and the Feb. 6 commerce deadline,” Stein wrote.
Schröder, who was acquired eventually season’s commerce deadline, is within the midst of among the finest offensive begins of his profession, averaging 20.1 factors and 6.6 assists throughout his first 10 video games whereas taking pictures 48.6% from the sector and 46.3% from deep. Finney-Smith has been taking part in out of place for a lot of this season due to the Nets’ frontcourt accidents however stays one of many higher defenders on the workforce. The ahead has averaged 10.6 factors per sport this season whereas 44% taking pictures from the sector and 34.5% from deep. He has shot 47.1% from behind the arc over his final three appearances getting into Monday’s sport.
Bogdanović has not appeared in a sport for Brooklyn this season as he continues to get well from offseason foot surgical procedure. He made 29 regular-season appearances for the Knicks following final season’s commerce deadline, primarily in a reserve position, and averaged 10.4 factors per sport whereas taking pictures 43% from the sector and 37% from 3-point vary.
Stein’s column didn’t point out Johnson, who has averaged 21.8 factors on .554/.419/.857 splits over this final 4 appearances getting into Monday evening’s matchup in opposition to the New Orleans Pelicans. Nonetheless, if Marks is procuring Schröder, Finney-Smith and Bogdanović, he’ll in all probability take affords for Johnson, too.
“With first-year coach Jordi Fernandez clearly attempting to win video games, Brooklyn may need to ponder stripping down even sooner than it imagined.”
