Brooklyn Nets
Team Outlook-
The Nets decided to reboot and rebuild after a dismal 21-61 2015-16 season, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to contend. They hired former Dominican Republic coach (and Atlanta Hawks/New York Knicks assistant) Kenny Atkinson, signed former New York Knick Jeremy Lin, as well as forward Trevor Booker and guard Randy Foye. They also added some intriguing prospects in Caris LeVert, Isaiah Whitehead and Justin Hamilton.
The Nets are far from a powerhouse, but they have the pieces to be very competitive, and if those pieces click, make some noise this season in the East. More importantly, there are multiple players who could be very DFS friendly, and since they’re on the Nets, might get overlooked.
Projected Starting Lineup
Point Guard- Jeremy Lin
“Linsanity” returns to New York, but in Brooklyn, not Manhattan as Jeremy Lin signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Nets to take over their point guard positon. New head coach Kenny Atkinson is looking to Lin to be a leader on and off the court this season and as the unquestioned lead in the Nets offense, Lin looks set for a career year. He’s worked hard this offseason to improve his shots, and that showed in the first preseason game when he dropped 21 points in 17 minutes against the Detroit Pistons, including five 3-pointers. The Nets also expect a lot from him defensively and think it’s an aspect of his game which is underrated. Lin is likely to populate a lot of DFS lineups this season, especially early.
Shooting Guard- Randy Foye
The shooting guard position could end up as a rotation, but right now it seems like Foye is the guy who will get the most minutes. Like Lin, the Nets will look to him for some leadership, and Foye’s ability as a two-way guard will be a big asset to them as well. Foye has averaged 10.8 points per game while shooting at 36.9 percent from 3-point range through during his career. Being able to play the 1 and the 2 gives the Nets some versatility with their lineup as well. His numbers were down last year, though, and have been declining for the past several, making him a shaky option as a fantasy player.
Forward/Guard - Bojan Bogdanovic
There’s every chance that Bogdanovic will see himself in a rotation with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but for now Bogdanovic gets the nod. While inconsistent, Bogdanovic has flashed some tremendous ability at times, and it looks like he could put it all together in his third season. His production increased each of his first two seasons, and his 3-point percentage went from 35 percent to 38 percent last season, making him an intriguing player from long range. He is absolutely one of the better perimeter shooters on the team and could be a solid DFS guy nobody looks at initially because he’s on the Nets.
Power Forward- Trevor Booker
Training camp has been a battle between Booker and Luis Scola, which is something that could continue throughout the preseason and maybe even the season itself. Booker has the edge for a few reasons, though, including the two-year, $18 million dollar he signed this summer. Booker averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20 minutes per game last season and more minutes will likely improve those numbers quite a bit. That said, because head coach Kenny Atkinson has said he wants to give Booker and Scola both some run this year, Booker’s upside is limited and his DFS potential capped. Combining those two might be good for the Nets, but it’s bad for DFS players.
Center- Brook Lopez
Last season’s leading scorer for the Nets, Brook Lopez was a beast around the rim, with 64 percent of his field goal attempts coming within nine feet of the basket (per Basketball Reference). His 20.6 points per game average is actually something that could be maintained given the weapons the Nets have from the perimeter, which will pull defenders out of the lane and clear things out for Lopez. His role on this team makes Lopez a solid starter for DFs contests.
Key Bench Players
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
While he didn’t have much of an impact his rookie season, Hollis-Jefferson could see some time alternating with Bojan Bogdanovic. His value is mostly on the defensive end of things, where his steals and blocks could make him a nice addition when you know he will get time. That’s the issue though as we don’t know how much time Bogdanovic will really give up to Hollis-Jefferson.
Caris LeVert
LeVert had a lot of foot issues at Michigan (he played just 33 games in his last two seasons), so the Nets might bring him along a little slowly. He’s said his last surgery should fix his foot issues for good, but we’ll see. LeVert is a good passer, can play multiple positions and can shoot the ball well, hitting a 63.6 true shooting percentage before an injury ended his season last year. He may not contribute early but could be someone to watch as we hit the 2017 half of the season.
Greivis Vasquez
Vasquez will be Jeremy Lin’s primary backup, which will keep him from mounting much production. Still returning from offseason ankle surgery, Vasquez is also likely to be eased into the lineup with minimal minutes. If he struggles, he could give way to rookie Isaiah Whitehead.
Isaiah Whitehead
The former Seton Hall star (and Brooklyn native) is raw, putting up great numbers through sheer volume with the Pirates last season. Whitehead averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 boards, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks and 2.4 3-pointers a game while at The Hall, but did it while shooting 37.9 from the field. His percentage at the rim was only 46.7 and his jump shots were made at just a 34.4 percent clip. If the Nets can harness his shots, and improve his shot selection, Whitehead could be a star very soon.
Luis Scola
Scola is solid from the floor, hitting 45 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc last season. Despite being in the autumn of his career, Scola should see plenty of minutes, even if he’s backing up Trevor Booker. The two could be in a time-share which would hamper both of their production, making it at the very least unpredictable.
Sean Kilpatrick
Kilpatrick is great off the bench, and ended last season on fire for the Nets. On the downside, he played in only 23 games last season, but he did a lot with minimum opportunity. He could be an interesting Tournament add if he replicates that again this year, but the risk will be how many minutes he gets.
Justin Hamilton
Hamilton arrives after having played in Spain last season, where he excelled with Valencia Basket in the Spanish ACB – one of the better professional leagues in the world. Hamilton can actually hit some shots from 3-point range but where he does his damage is in the paint, and around the rim. Depending on how Brook Lopez plays, Hamilton is someone who could emerge as a solid DFS play down the road.
Key Offseason Acquisitions
Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker, Randy Foye
Lin, Booker, and Foye could be key to a massively improved 2016-17 season. However, while Booker and Foye are more likely transitional players who will be replaced down the road by the youngsters the Nets have, Lin is looked upon as a long-term addition who could carry this team for some time.
Key Offseason Departures
N/A