Brooklyn Nets 2018-19 season roundup, awards

Biggest Disappointment: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Coming into the season, there were high hopes for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The 24-year-old had made a significant offensive improvement the year before and was entering the final year of his contract.

Hollis-Jefferson had improved his shot throughout the 2017-18 season, consistently scoring from the mid-range. On a team in need of a versatile stretch 4, many hoped the forward would extend his shot to the 3-point line this season. That hope never materialized.

Not only did Hollis-Jefferson fail to extend his shot to the perimeter, he regressed offensively altogether. An adductor strain suffered in August while playing in a charity game in China lingered into the season and sidelined him.

When Hollis-Jefferson returned, he never regained the confidence from the mid-range that served him well the season prior. In 2017-18, a career-high 20.6 percent of Hollis-Jefferson’s field goal attempts came from 10-16 feet.

This season, that number dropped to 12.9 percent, the lowest since his rookie season.

Hollis-Jefferson also shot a much lower percentage on a smaller sample size. In 2017-18, he converted on 47.7 percent of those attempts, a 13 percent increase from the season prior. This year, he made just 25.4 percent, a career-low.

He appeared hesitant when shooting from any point on the floor and reverted to putting his head down and driving, often looking out of control and losing sight of the rim. When driving, Hollis-Jefferson attacked bigger defenders and took off-balance shots hoping for a foul call.

This led to the forward landing on the bench for the second half of the season. Rodions Kurucs and Treveon Graham began seeing extended minutes as the Nets searched for a power forward.

Although Hollis-Jefferson struggled offensively, he still brought the same intensity on the defensive end. He showed great hustle every time he was on the floor, but at a certain point, Atkinson couldn’t play four-on-five on the offensive end anymore.

There were still some nice moments for Hollis-Jefferson this season. He sparked the Nets in a March 19 win over Sacramento, capping off a 25-point fourth quarter comeback with the game-winning layup.

As Hollis-Jefferson hits restricted free agency, his future in Brooklyn is uncertain. The forward has a $7.4 million cap hold and with the Nets expected to pursue top-tier free agents, every dollar of cap space counts.

Hollis-Jefferson is a favorite in the locker room and the longest tenured Net on the roster, but that may not be enough to save him this summer.

The 2018-2019 season brought competitive basketball back to Brooklyn. With a star-studded incoming free agent class and significant cap space, the timing could not have been better.

The breakouts of D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert give the Nets a young backcourt with star potential. Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen continued to develop, rounding out a solid young core for Brooklyn.

Brooklyn played a gritty, unselfish brand of basketball that won fans over as the season went on. The front office will hope that free agents take notice of the culture, solid core of young players, and the New York market.

With Brooklyn set to pursue star free agents, the futures of several players are uncertain. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, DeMarre Carroll, Ed Davis, Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham and Allen Crabbe all contributed this season and could be in a different uniform next season.

This season was a turning point for the Nets. A playoff appearance brought the team back into the spotlight and this offseason will provide Brooklyn with an opportunity to stay in it for years to come.