With their eyes set on the future, both DeMarre Carroll and the Brooklyn Nets look to impress and build upon last year’s growth.
His first season with the Brooklyn Nets brought new life to the rollercoaster career of DeMarre Carroll. He had returned to his peak from from the 60-win Atlanta Hawks days and got healthy.
Last season, Carroll shot a decent 41 percent from the field and made an average of two 3s per game, averaging 13.5 points per game, a career-high. He also posted career-highs in assists and rebounds as a small-ball power forward for most of the season due to the roster’s limitations.
He was also easily the Nets’ best wing defender. He had a defensive rating of 107.7, which is second-best among those who played at least half the season with the team. The best mark, of course, went to Jarrett Allen.
A change in the lineup?
Looking forward, there is no indication right now who will be the starting frontcourt, with the exception of defensive standout Jarrett Allen.
Carroll’s minutes may be reduced with the Nets’ acquisition of another high energy forward, Kenneth Faried, from the Nuggets earlier this offseason.
With the Nets all but guaranteed to continue the pace-and-space system of last season, expect to see Carroll at the 4 at the beginning of the season with the paint-oriented Faried coming off the bench as a spark-plug big man along with Ed Davis.
His starting role will also depend on the development of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert.
With Hollis-Jefferson spending some floor time at the 4 and Levert showing progress at the end of last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to find Carroll being the first guy off the bench instead of being in the starting five.
Having to compete with more big men in the rotation and a developing young core behind him, Carroll will probably not post the numbers he did last year. His ability to create plays and versatility on defense will undoubtedly still warrant a good amount of minutes.
However, he will ultimately serve a bigger role as the locker room leader for a young team on the verge of transformation.