Brooklyn Nets 2019-2020 Season Preview

Projected Depth Chart

PG: Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Theo Pinson
SG: Caris LeVert, Garrett Temple, Dzanan Musa
SF: Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, David Nwaba
PF: Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, Wilson Chandler
C: Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Jordan, Nic Claxton

The Nets will head into this season with several new faces in the rotation. The starting five is set with Irving and Caris LeVert in the backcourt, Joe Harris at small forward, Prince at power forward, and Allen down low.

Irving brings a new dynamic to the offense that will spark some changes.

D’Angelo Russell thrived last year as Brooklyn’s floor general in a pick and roll heavy offense. Russell ranked second in the league in pick and roll possessions per game while Brooklyn ranked fifth in the league as a team.

Irving ranked 27th in that category. Despite the disparity in the number of pick and roll sets, Irving got to the basket more frequently than Russell, taking 22.6% of his shots around the rim (0-3 feet) compared to 13.7% for Russell.

Irving’s ball-handling ability could warrant an increase in isolation sets. This will affect how those around the point guard get their shots. Russell frequently dished off to rolling big men or found Harris for kick-out threes while probing in the pick and roll. The increase in pick and roll sets will be an adjustment for Irving.

Atkinson acknowledged that there would be some changes to the offense with Irving running the show via Kristin Winfield:

"“I think the best coaches adapt to their players,” Atkinson said. “You have to understand the players you have and put them in the best position to succeed. Those are part of the tweaks. I don’t think they’re monumental changes but subtle changes that will help our team come together quicker.”"

The chemistry between Irving and LeVert will heavily play into Brooklyn’s offensive success. LeVert found success late in the season as a pick and roll ball handler. He will still get these opportunities and Irving should be fine playing off the ball as a 45.4 percent shooter on catch and shoot threes last season.

Harris and Prince will provide plenty of spacing as shooters on the perimeter. If LeVert can get comfortable as a catch and shoot threat and moving off the ball, Brooklyn could have one of the best backcourts in the league.

Another question is whether Spencer Dinwiddie will play alongside Irving, LeVert, or both. Dinwiddie excels as an isolation player with the ball in his hands. This makes it questionable for him to play alongside both Irving and LeVert as he is better served with another shooter on the perimeter. However, the trio of guards could find themselves on the floor together depending on matchups.

Dinwiddie will be the sixth man off the bench, Jordan will backup Allen, and Rodions Kurucs will see time at both forward positions. A big question in the rotation will be who will get the minutes as the final guard off the bench?

It will be a competition between Temple and Dzanan Musa. Temple is a solid defender while Musa has more ability to create on the offensive end.

Can Musa hold up as a defender against NBA level guards? Can Temple shoot and handle the ball consistently enough from the outside to warrant defensive attention?

Nwaba’s defensive ability could help him see minutes early in the season. The 26-year-old will likely be used as a fill-in defensive stopper similar to Treveon Graham last season.

Marks did a solid job of filling the roster with unselfish, defensive-minded players who will fit well into Brooklyn’s system. It will be extremely important that Irving and LeVert find their chemistry early and get others involved as the Nets look to take advantage of a favorable schedule early on.