A Handy Brooklyn Nets Roster Breakdown
By Jonah Mars
May 4, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view of Brooklyn Nets fans celebrating against the Chicago Bulls during the second half in game seven of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Barclays Center. The Bulls won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
With the Brooklyn Nets announcing today the signing of Shaun Livingston and Bojan Bogdanovic most likely coming over, chances are the Nets now have their full 14-man roster for next season. This post is a position-by-position breakdown of the roster just to give ourselves a look at the full team. A couple of notes are under each player.
Deron Williams-starting point guard
The face of the franchise. Even if he isn’t the emotional leader of the team, he was the first player to believe in what the Brooklyn Nets organization was doing. Also a semi-assistant GM to Billy King. Great passer and shooter. Leader of the offense. Fan favorite.
Shaun Livingston-backup point guard
Will be battling with Tyshawn Taylor for the backup point guard position. Was once a high lottery pick but injuries derailed his career. Not a good shooter, but an excellent passer for a guy his size. Will be nice to have if he can stay healthy.
Tyshawn Taylor-third string point guard
Second-year player who is expected to get more of a shot this season than he did last year. Had flashes of brilliance last season, but was overall very inconsistent. Still needs to work on his jump shot and limiting turnovers. He can learn a lot from Jason Kidd and Deron Williams.
Joe Johnson-starting shooting guard
Captain Clutch. Has a bad contract, but is still a very good player. Has a very good jump shot and is one of the best at creating his own shots. Veteran presence, has seen it all.
Jason Terry-backup shooting guard
Came over in the Boston trade. Was teammates with Jason Kidd in Dallas. Has a knack for hitting clutch shots. Was very disappointing in Boston last year, but is hoping for a bounce back season. Liability on defense. Could be team’s 6th man if things work out.
Bojan Bogdanovic-third string shooting guard
Unknown European rookie from Croatia. 24 years old. Should play around 10 minutes per night depending on how quickly he adjusts to the NBA game. Has a good jump shot and is good at creating his own shot. Has been compared to a young Paul Pierce.
Paul Pierce-starting small forward
Came over in the Boston trade. Will be weird seeing him in a Nets uniform, that’s for sure. NBA champion. Clutch shot-maker. Slower than he once was, but he was never very athletic. Still can score 20 points on any given night.
Toko Shengelia-backup small forward
Second year Euro. Did not play much last season and probably won’t this season either. Fan favorite. Surprisingly athletic. Pretty good rebounder and passer. Not a great shooter. Needs work on defense.
Kevin Garnett-starting power forward
Came over in the Boston trade. Former champion, MVP, defensive player of the year, 15x all-star. Emotional leader, defensive leader, always speaks his mind. Will be weird seeing him in a Nets uniform. Will benefit from more rest because of team’s depth this season. Excellent mid-range and free throw shooter.
Reggie Evans-backup power forward
Rebounding ace. Fan favorite. Can’t make a foul shot. Probably won’t score more than 5 points per game. Will benefit from smaller role this season. Less pressure on him after starting last season. Very annoying to opponents. A guy who you want on your team.
Mirza Teletovic-third string power forward
Second year Euro. Had a disappointing rookie season. Should be one of the best shooters on the team. Needs to work on making offensive game more smooth. Plays little defense. Probably will not receive much playing time.
Brook Lopez-starting center
Was the team’s best player last season. Longest tenured Net-since 2008. Best offensive center in the NBA. Good, not great, defensive player, but he is slow. Needs to work on rebounding. Excellent finisher around the rim, free throw shooter, mid-range jump shooter. Developed good chemistry with Deron Williams last season.
Andray Blatche-backup center
Best contract on the team. Should be first big off the bench. Very crafty offensive player. Sometimes too tricky for his own good. Fancy dribbler. Good shooter. Good rebounder. Still needs work on defense and quickness. Needs to be reminded to improve conditioning.
Mason Plumlee-third string center
Rookie center out of Duke. Surprisingly athletic. Good shooter and rebounder. Will not receive much playing time on this team. Expect to see him a lot in Springfield. Will benefit from learning from Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez.