by James Finneral
After being one of the most hyped teams heading into last season the Nets just ended up being a mediocre team in the NBA. Given that Brook Lopez was out for nearly the entire year, the Nets did not live up to anyones expectations. They were supposed to be a team that could challenge the Miami Heat, but their players did not gel and they now have a worse roster than last year.
Last year was the Nets best chance to make a title run. When they traded for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnet the Nets were not planning for multiple years in the future, they wanted to win the next year. With Pierce gone the Nets certainly lose a quality guy who can provide for the offense. Garnet may have another decent year in him, but the Nets will need to rely on their Big 3 consisting of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. Johnson might just be the most important of the three. Coming from Atlanta, the Nets knew Johnson was a strong shooting guard who specializes in scoring. Since he has been in Brooklyn, Johnson has been extremely inconsistent. He will score 35 points multiple times during the season but then the next night he will drop less than 10. Johnson is an all star caliber talent, but the Nets will need him to be more consistent to win big games.
Brook Lopez is a huge part of the Brooklyn Nets and is probably their best player. Without him in the lineup the Nets front-court really struggled throughout last year. Now that he is returning the Net's offensive and defensive efficiency will improve greatly. The Net's bench is not that deep, but one player who could be pretty helpful this season is Mason Plumlee. He is coming off a decent rookie season, but he certainly has the skill set to be a solid power forward in the NBA. He is a big strong guy who has a number of post moves. Plumlee should see more time this year and could be a very good guy to give Garnett or Lopez a rest.
The last piece the Nets need to be successful is the efficiency of their point guard, Deron Williams. A few seasons back many experts thought that Williams could be a top of the line point guard. Unfortunately Williams has been prone to injuries and when he has played he was just decent. There's no question Williams can be an all star point guard, but he needs to stay healthy and consistent. With their high powered offense the Nets will need a floor general like Williams to create opportunities for his teammates.
The Nets have a chance to make the playoffs, but with the multiple question marks surrounding their roster its hard to take them as one of the top eight teams. They have a number of players with great talent, but they have yet to live up to expectations. Lets see if this Nets team can get back to the way they were when they had Jason Kidd and Vince Carter.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Andrei Kirilenko
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Brook Lopez
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