Which Five-Man Unit Is The Brooklyn Nets’ Best?

Brook Lopez

This new-and-improved Brook Lopez has turned into one of the best three-point shooting centers in the league and has added a brand new dynamic to the Nets’ offense. He’s made 32 threes to start the year, and Lopez has buried them at a 37.6 percent clip.

He has a reduced role in terms of how many minutes he’s playing, but Atkinson still sees him as the number one option. Per 36 minutes, Lopez is averaging 26.3 points a night, which is a career-high.

Because of his consistency from downtown, Lopez’s low-post game has gotten better, and he’s now able to take opposing bigs off the dribble from the three-point line. It’s incredibly awkward to watch, but it’s effective. A lot of centers aren’t used to having to guard seven-footers out on the three-point line, and it’s not something they can bypass.

When bigs switch out onto guards, it’s different. The team can adjust their pick coverage and elect not to switch.

Defensively, Lopez is sufficient. He’s still a decent rim protector, but Brooklyn’s guards have a hard time containing their opponents off the dribble. A lot of times, the rotations aren’t quick enough. When Lopez is in position, however, he makes guards think twice about their attempt.

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He’s also still a load to battle in the low post, and not many guys in the league can push around the 7-foot, 275-pound franchise cornerstone.