Brooklyn Nets: How team can continue newfound success

Keeping general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson the best way to ensure the beat goes on for the Brooklyn Nets into the future.

The Brooklyn Nets‘ success this season is due to the decision making of two people. Coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean Marks took on what was a weak roster, flaky fanbase and no first-round draft picks in the country’s most ruthless pro sports market.

When Atkinson and Marks teamed up in Brooklyn, the future looked bleak and hopeless. Nevertheless, they pressed on and built a solid team out of nothing.

The key to continuing this success is nothing more than extending the tenures of Atkinson and Marks in Brooklyn. Looking at what the two did when they came into Brooklyn without first-round draft picks is a clear indication that the sky is the limit now that they have those first-round picks.

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Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has to extend Atkinson and Marks deals past 2020, when they are set to become free agents.

One of the Nets’ biggest flaws since the move to Brooklyn has been consistency. Aside from the consistent losing, the Nets failed to put together a coaching staff and front office with the ability to develop players, causing Barclays Center to be nothing more than a revolving door.

With Atkinson and Marks, that revolving door has stopped and the consistent losing has ceased.

When looking at the Nets current better-than-.500 record, attribute it to Sean Marks’ decision making. When many GMs would attempt to beat the Boston trade by signing veterans in an attempt to win as many games immediately after the trade, Marks decided against it.

Sean Marks knew to move forward and build for the future. What many don’t understand is that GMs use draft picks to put a team together, a tool Marks had very little of.

In the end, Marks and Atkinson decided to build a culture and maximize their in-house talent. Between D’Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, it is clear that the Nets are well on their way back into serious playoff contention in the East.

From 2010 -16, Mikhail Prokhorov tried to rush the process of building a winning culture and after that rush fell flat on its face, Prokhorov must let Atkinson and Marks continue to build.

Next. 10 best seasons in franchise history. dark

The Nets have made something out of nothing and ownership must extend the contracts of Kenny Atkinson and Sean Marks.