What could 2018 bring for the Brooklyn Nets: A round table
By Kunal Kohli
With a new year comes new opportunities and changes. We here at Nothin’ But Nets reflected on the past year and came up with some things we want the Brooklyn Nets to do in 2018.
Kunal Kohli
“I would like to see the Brooklyn Nets beat a division rival. Right now, Brooklyn is the only team in the NBA to not have a win against anybody in their division. However, they have also only played teams in their division five times, the least in the league. But a win against the Celtics or Raptors, both essentially locked for the playoffs, would build a ton of momentum and give them confidence. And who does not want to see the Nets beat the Knicks? It would also be great for their playoff chances as the Nets are only 5.5 games back from the eight seed. Beating division rivals will be the key to the postseason.”
Alex Cuesta
“The Brooklyn Nets have played competitive basketball in almost every game this season. Coming within three points of beating the the league leading Boston Celtics on the final day of 2017 was encouraging, but the same old same old. What I want the Nets to do for the new year is find a way to get a true closer on the roster. If there is a bonafide superstar out there to be traded for, then Sean Marks needs to go out and get him. The Nets have a lot of good role players right now, but a superstar would go a long way to making this team playoff bound.”
Shane Rabacs
“Keep developing their young talent. This year isn’t about wins and losses, the important thing is to get young guys reps so they improve. Guys like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert had great 2017, look for them to take the next step in 2018 under Kenny Atkinson and the coaching staff.”
Omri Benami
“I want to see Jarrett Allen’s offensive game improve. The rookie has shown some good energy on the defensive end, but his offense is pretty one dimensional. With a seven-foot-six wingspan, he should have no problems finishing more around the basket. His free throw form is great, so I would like to see that stroke translate into more of a mid range game as well. This will come with time, as he’s still only 19 years old. He’s been developing some nice chemistry with LeVert on the second unit recently.”
Josh Rudy
“Experience with a Jarrett Allen-Jahlil Okafor combination. When the time comes for Okafor to establish a role within the rotation, I think the Nets would be wise to utilize their size by playing Allen and Okafor together. I know – the combination doesn’t offer Brooklyn much perimeter shooting from the 4-5 slot – but pair those two with D’Angelo Russell, LeVert and Allen Crabbe – you could have something there. I’d like to see the Nets slowly ease their way out of love with the three-point shooting philosophy.”
Erik Slater
“I would like to see Sean Marks acquire a power forward. The Nets are severely undersized at the power forward position. Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Quincy Acy are undersized and struggle to keep larger players from gaining post position. Offensive rebounds have also hurt the Nets at several key moments in losses since trading away Trevor Booker. Hollis-Jefferson has developed into a great piece for Brooklyn, but his size limits him at the four. Acy plays hard, but he is a one dimensional player. His deficiencies are evident when he plays more than 10-15 minutes per game. The jury is out on Jahlil Okafor. Sean Marks could attempt to play him at power forward. However, his history suggests that he would not be of help defensively or rebounding. The Nets player development team may be able to bring the best out of his skill set, but until then Sean Marks would be wise to seek help at the position.”