Brooklyn Nets: Who Replaces Paul Pierce?
Paul Pierce played just one season for the Brooklyn Nets after being acquired from Boston for multiple players. Pierce enjoyed a relatively successful season and was instrumental in the team’s run to the playoffs once center Brook Lopez went down with injury.
The Truth was not re-signed by Brooklyn and instead signed with the Washington Wizards, which leaves a gap in the Nets’ starting lineup. Brooklyn is fairly inexperienced at the small forward position, aside from the electric and defensive-minded Andrei Kirilenko.
Mirza Teletovic played in a career-high 72 games in his second season with Brooklyn and is a versatile shooter. In the offseason, Brooklyn acquired Sergey Karasev, a shooting specialist, from Cleveland as part of a deal that also included Jarrett Jack.
The Nets received more depth at the position when Bojan Bogdanovic, whom the team drafted in 2011, signed a three-year, $10 million contract in July.
The players of which have the best shot to start or contribute right away are obvious, Kirilenko and Teletovic. Kirilenko was limited to just 45 games a season ago because of ankle and toe injuries.
He also hasn’t started close to a full season in several years and has remained very injury prone. But when on the court, the NBA’s best have to be wary of the lanky Russian.
The 33-year-old, who back in Utah at one time was swatting three shots per game, is an active force on defense and finds his way to the basket on offense. Last year was a down year, but Brooklyn would be best served giving the 12-year veteran the nod to start until Teletovic proves he is capable and consistent.
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Teletovic became an important piece of Jason Kidd‘s bench last season. The Bosnian played both forward positions and shot the three ball well at 38 percent.
Teletovic struggled through the months of February and March, posting field goal percentages of less than 40 percent. The 28-year-old also jacks up a considerable amount of shots from long range, 405 in total last season.
Although it’s his most proficient skill on the court, if Teletovic wants to crack the starting lineup, the only way to increase your confidence and impress coaches is by getting to the rim.
Bojan Bogdanovic played three seasons for Turkish team Fenerbahçe Ülker before signing with Brooklyn. The Euroleague veteran most recently led his club to a Turkish Supercup championship in 2014 and also earned all-star honors in 2013.
Bogdanovic struggled with his shot earlier in his career, while playing for the Croatian team Cibona Zagreb, where he was one of the go-to performers. Then, on Fenerbahçe Ülker, he exploded, shooting better than 40 percent for his first two seasons and averaging a career-high in points with 16 in 2012-13.
The Nets were not exactly awful in their outside shooting last season, coming in at roughly 37 percent on the season, but they could use another outside shooter. Bogdanovic is not exactly a long-range shooting specialist.
He took just 94 3-pointers compared to 184 two-point attempts.
Bogdanovic is not that explosive and may have trouble creating his own shot in the NBA. He is still too green so look for the Croatian to see a healthy amount of minutes this preseason before he is groomed into an NBA ready player.
The forgotten man of the Brooklyn Nets acquisitions this offseason, Sergey Karasev, saw limited time in Orlando Summer League. In one game, Karasev posted 11 points, including 44 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep.
The 20-year-old saw limited action in Cleveland and was given multiple D-League assignments. While playing for the Canton Charge, the 6-foot-7, 200 pound Karasev played rather well, boasting averages of 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 games.
The unselfish Russian played for Triumph Lyubertsy for three seasons before he was drafted, averaging 16 points per game and shot 38 percent from the 3-point line in his final campaign. He also hit only 31 percent on shots within the 3-point line.
Karasev is at least a couple of seasons away from contributing to an NBA team, and playing behind players like Kirilenko and Joe Johnson should serve him well. Brooklyn and new head coach Lionel Hollins will likely take the preseason to evaluate all the talent they have stockpiled at small forward before making a decision on who gets the starting nod.