Brooklyn Nets: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Apr 1, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) looks to pass defended by his brother New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks defeated the Nets 105-91. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2016-17 season slowly approaching, it is time to take a look at what looms ahead. The Brooklyn Nets have been spiraling out of control the last few seasons. The reality is that things will not be much better this year.

The Nets franchise has its history of ups and downs, but currently the team is in a down period. This time though, the rise to contention will take much longer than fans would like to hear. Last year, the team finished the season with a 21-61 record. That is the sixth worst record since the franchise was established in 1967. It was also the Nets’ 30th losing season in franchise history.

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Considering this team has a history of losing, it is safe to say next season will hold much of the same fate. The team lost its second best player, Thaddeus Young, and waived their third best player, Joe Johnson, right before the All-Star break. To top it all off, the Nets waived Jarrett Jack in July after he missed about one third of the season due to a torn ACL.

That does not mean there is nothing to look forward to. In fact, there are multiple young players to watch this season. To go along with them, Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic are returning for another season. Considering Bogdanovic’s play in the Olympics, he should be exciting to watch this coming season. Also, the Nets have a new owner, Sean Marks, and new head coach, Kenny Atkinson. The team is really trying to rebuild itself in preparation for the future.

As of right now though, the team will not be much better than last year. In fact, they might be on par to finish with about the same record as last year. The Nets will have a draft pick in next year’s draft, but it most likely will not be their own. The Boston Celtics have the right to swap picks with the Nets in next year’s lottery. The pick the Nets have is unprotected, so even if they win the lottery, the Celtics have a right to take the pick. Therefore, if Boston finishes where they are projected to, the Nets will have a late first round pick. Any pick for this team is better than no pick though. And this upcoming season, the team will know what their needs are.

2015-16 Vitals

21-61, 4th in Atlantic Division, 14th in Eastern Conference

98.6 PPG (26th)/106 OPP PPG (24th)

103.2 Offensive Rating (27th)/110.9 Defensive Rating (29th)

Team Leaders

Scoring: Brook Lopez, 20.6 PPG

Rebounding: Thaddeus Young, 9.0 RPG

Assists: Jarrett Jack, 7.4 APG

Steals: Thaddeus Young, 1.5 SPG

Blocks: Brook Lopez, 1.7 BPG

Next: Roster