NBN Roundtable: New Year’s Resolutions For 2017
By Sandy Mui
Tyler Dencker (@T_Danks_)
Reflecting on 2016
As we look back on the 2016 year as a whole for the Brooklyn Nets, it’s obvious that there wasn’t too much to be overly excited about. It was another losing season, and another year where the Nets appeared to be the laughingstock of the NBA. However, despite the rock-bottom lows, both the Nets players and Nets fans know that it can only go up from here.
Despite the consistent losses, the worst thing to happen to the Nets this year was certainly the loss of their top-three pick in the draft, which came at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Every year, if a team struggles, the draft is always the bright side to look forward to. Of course, this wasn’t the case for the Nets, as they knew that Boston would get the rights to their first pick this year, and most likely for the next few years as well (they still owe Boston a first-rounder in 2018, and Boston can swap picks with the Nets in the 2017 draft too).
On the flip side, though, I think the best thing to happen to the Nets this year was the outbreak of Sean Kilpatrick. While the Jeremy Lin signing delivered a newfound hope to the franchise and was certainly one of the best moments of the year, Lin has spent most of his 2016-17 campaign with the Nets hobbled with injury. “Skilpatrick,” on the other hand, has delivered in Lin’s absence, and is responsible for exciting fans and creating a new atmosphere. Without him, I’m not so sure the Nets would have as many wins as they do right now.
As a whole, though, it’s hard to say I’m pleased with the Nets at the end of 2016. However, I do believe they are heading in the right direction. They are giving their young guns a chance to develop and finally look like they are a team that is preparing for the future, opposed to a team that spends their money chasing washed-up veterans to try and snatch a seven or eight seed.
Looking Forward to 2017
In terms of looking forward to 2017, I really want to see the Nets improve their defense. While they’re scoring 106 points per game (which is 11th in the NBA and has thoroughly impressed me so far), they’re giving up a league-worst 114.4 points per game. Asking the Nets to score more than 114 points per game is far too much to ask, so the Nets need to do a much better job of limiting opponents scores in 2017.
By the end of 2017, I expect the Nets to be a more mature team as a whole. Hopefully they will have a starting five that they can count on, and from there, can focus strictly on development. It will be hard for them to get a brand new young face, as the Celtics will likely own their first-round pick, but maybe the Nets can get lucky in the free agency market.
Some potential targets that the Nets should consider in that free agency market come summer: Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Kyle Lowry, and Jrue Holiday. Ultimately, any somewhat young, highly productive players will do for the Nets at this point. Brook Lopez is aging, and the Nets soon need to find another player that can handle the big scoring workload that Lopez has handled all of these years.
So all-in-all, it may not have been the best year for the Nets, and 2017 may not be the best year either. But regardless, the most important thing is to trust the process, and to continue to believe in the players that Kenny Atkinson and Sean Marks are putting on the court.