Nothin' But Nets
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NBN Roundtable: New Year’s Resolutions For 2017

By Sandy Mui

May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks introduces new head coach Kenny Atkinson at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks introduces new head coach Kenny Atkinson at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts to a call against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 116-104. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts to a call against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 116-104. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Alex Cuesta (@ACuestaNBN)

Reflecting on 2016

2016 brought some good moments and a whole lot of ugly for me as a Brooklyn Nets fan. The ugly mostly revolved around the awful play and lack of talent on the roster during the 2015-16 season. And by the end of the season, the Nets were a team devoid of talent, draft picks, and hope.

Things turned around as a change of guard at both the general manager and head coach positions brought along a fresh sense of hope for fans and players alike. I believe that new general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson are in it for the long haul and are going to make the Nets a well-run team and organization.

With hope on the horizon, I have been able to stay positive throughout the current lackluster season. The record doesn’t show it, but this young team plays hard every single night, and as a fan, that is all I can ask for.

A highlight for me personally was that at the end of 2016, I was given the opportunity to write for this great website, covering my favorite team in professional basketball. I have followed the website for a while and was elated when I was asked to join the team. It was the perfect highlight to end my year.

Looking Forward to 2017

Looking forward to 2017, I can only hope to see the team continue to grow and improve. There is a bevy of young talent on this roster, and Coach Atkinson seems to be the guy to develop it. They are a much-improved offensive team from last season, and their pace of play is a drastic change from the slow style of the past.

The biggest challenge for this team will be if they can turn all that young energy and talent into some defensive effort. The Nets have seemed allergic to playing defense this season by giving up over 110 points a game.

If they can improve upon their defense and couple it with their scoring ability, then I’d be excited to see how their season turns out. In the end, I am looking for development and good roster moves in the upcoming offseason.

Being a Nets fan at this stage in the rebuild means looking past the win/loss total and looking at the strides the players make on the team. If the team continues to try hard and put a fun product to watch on the court game in and game out, then it’ll be a happy 2017 for me.