Brooklyn Nets: 3 former Nets they would love to have right now
By Mike Luciano
The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t resist the opportunity to pair James Harden with the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, thereby forming one of the most lethal combinations of offensive talent the game has ever seen. However, doing so meant that a very deep Nets team built on player development had to trade away some young stars like Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen.
While Durant was enticed to come to Brooklyn because of their organizational foundation, the Nets were a genuinely impressive team without him and Irving, as the likes of LeVert, D’Angelo Russell and more helped them make the playoffs in 2018-19 as the No. 6 seed. Unfortunately, to add the superstars, a lot of those Nets had to be jettisoned.
Instead of some of Kenny Atkinson’s boys, Steve Nash has opted to play new acquisitions like DeAndre Jordan and Landry Shamet to support their star trio. The results have been…mixed, as evidenced by a recent loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons.
Brooklyn shouldn’t have been so quick to totally disregard their past success, as these three former Nets could help the current squad.
These 3 former Brooklyn Nets could provide some depth.
No. 3: DeMarre Carroll
Carroll’s value was at an all-time low when he arrived in Brooklyn, as he was regarded as a free agent flop in Toronto after some success on Mike Budenholzer’s turn of the decade Hawks teams. Carroll, who earned the nickname “Junkyard Dog” due to his feisty defensive play, had some of the best years of his career on both sides of the floor.
Carroll averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game during his first year in Brooklyn, all the while matching up against opposing power forwards and shooting guards with an equal amount of aplomb. While his scoring dipped next year, Carroll was a defensive linchpin on a Nets team that wasn’t exactly the Bad Boy Pistons.
DeMarre Carroll gave the Nets some toughness.
Right now, it’s clear that the Nets are lacking a veteran who can rally the troops when they get punched in the mouth and help do the dirty work down low. Jeff Green tries to help out, but he’s just one man. Carroll would give this finesse Nets team a rough edge that they need in order to improve on the defensive end.
Carroll was shipped to San Antonio, and he had a brief run with Houston last season, but his best chance to re-enter the NBA could be back at his old stomping ground in Brooklyn. Even if Nash just wants someone to play ferocious defense and be a vocal leader, Carroll can check both of those boxes.