Brooklyn Nets: Battles for Starting and Backup Position
Power Forward
Power forward is a position the Nets failed to directly address this offseason. Last season, the duties were shared by Trevor Booker and Hollis-Jefferson. Both Booker and Hollis-Jefferson played well, but in the current NBA, the power forward needs to be a three-point threat and neither of them are that.
Booker had the best numbers statistically, but is entering the final year of his contract. To play him at the end of the rotation would be a waste of his talent, so the Nets will likely look to trade him for assets. With Booker out of the starting contention who is left?
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There is Hollis-Jefferson, who played well late in the season in a position he never played before. His skinny frame got him pushed around by bigger players, but his length and athleticism gave him advantages offensively. If he develops a better jump shot then he has a chance to claim the starting role.
The likely candidate to start is former Atlanta Hawk and Toronto Raptor DeMarre Carroll. The Nets traded Justin Hamilton to the Raptors for Carroll and two picks in the 2018 draft. He had two down seasons in Toronto, but is looking forward to a reunion with head coach Kenny Atkinson, who he played for in Atlanta. If Atkinson can get him near the form he was at in Atlanta, then he could be that stretch four that the Nets are looking for.
With Hollis-Jefferson still developing a jump shot and Booker likely on his way out, the starter by default is DeMarre Carroll. Carroll can bring a lethal three-point shot to the power forward position, but needs to rebound better. This can be a big upgrade, in terms of offensive production, for a team who likes to shoot the long ball.