Brooklyn Nets: New Regime Trying to Build Winning Culture

The Brooklyn Nets have tipped off the 2016-17 season with a new regime and new players in place. The Nets are coming off of a 21-win season, but the new regime is working to build a winning culture in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets lost their season opener to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, 122-117. The Nets made a comeback at the end of the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short. While the Nets definitely have areas they need to improve in on the floor, they are trying to simultaneously build a winning culture.

Nets general manager Sean Marks has already said that the Nets will prioritize progress rather than wins and losses this season. With that being the case, the Nets are just trying to establish a winning culture that can lay the foundation for years to come.

Marks told the New York Post that he and the team know there are plenty of areas to improve in. “I think there’s a lot [of areas for improvement]. The list is long, for sure,” Marks told the Post. “And I think the [players and coaches] would be realistic about that. They know that. We all know that. It’s having those consistent habits, on and off the court, so it becomes second nature.”

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While the Nets have a ways to go when it comes to accountability, Marks noted that they have made progress. “What’s been really good is they’re beginning to hold each other accountable. We have a long, long, long, way to go; I’ll preface it by saying that first” Marks told the Post. “But at the same time, they’re having fun, they’re enjoying each other, and when it becomes a player-led culture and when they’re holding each other accountable, [saying,] ‘This is what we expect, guys. We’ve got to bring it every night’ and in various different little ways, that’s pleasantly surprising.”

A player-led culture would be ideal for the Nets, because it would signify strong leadership within the locker room. “[The players] don’t need to hear the coach’s voice all day everyday — Kenny’s the first to admit, they don’t need to hear me all the time — but hearing from each other, it’s a different level” Marks said … “We’ve got a long way to go. That’s the end goal for us. That’s what we’d like to see. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

Brooklyn has brought in players who are capable of leading and will embrace such a role. The Nets will rely on the likes of Jeremy Lin, Brook Lopez, Randy Foye, and others to provide leadership. It may be a slow process, but with leadership and accountability, the culture in Brooklyn can change.

The Nets should be better this season than they were last season — they should surpass 21 wins — but they also expect to be better when it comes to the culture. Times have been tough for the Nets over the past few years. Changing the culture may be an arduous journey, but it’s a necessary process which the new regime is not shying away from.

Next: Nets vs. Celtics Takeaways & Grades

While the Celtics game is an extremely small sample size, the Nets showed fight at the end. At times, they were down by more than 20 points, but they didn’t give up. Brooklyn could have packed it in and mentally moved on to Friday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, but they fought to the very end. Yes, they fell short, but if the Nets compete hard for 48 minutes each night, it will signify a change in the culture in Brooklyn.