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Brooklyn Nets: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 8, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) goes up for a shot against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) goes up for a shot against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brooklyn Nets
May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; (left to right) Brooklyn Nets players Rondae Hollis Jefferson, Sean Kilpatrick, Markel Brown, Chris McCullough and Thaddeus Young, listen to new head coach Kenny Atkinson answer questions from media during press conference at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Overall

Looking at things from a league-wide perspective, the Brooklyn Nets’ moves, on paper, are not very good. Their best acquisition was Jeremy Lin, a player who’s probably best suited as a backup point guard, and even on a bargain contract, that’s not something to be proud of.

However, bearing in mind what this team’s outlook was before the draft and free agency, Marks deserves some modicum of praise and respect for at least giving this franchise some inkling of hope for the next three years.

The unfortunate reality is that the Nets are going to be an even worse team in 2016-17, which is truly depressing when you remember the Celtics can swap their 2017 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s.

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A core of Lin, Vasquez, Bojan Bogdanovic, Foye, LeVert, Scola, Bennett and Brook Lopez is going to really struggle to defend anyone, even with the defensive intensity of Hollis-Jefferson and Booker thrown in. Tanking will bear no fruit for this poor Nets team, and patience will be required in the emerging Marks regime.

Still, the Nets are going about their rebuild as well as can be expected under a brand new GM, who is trying to turn a bare cupboard into a pantry full of assets. One late first-rounder like LeVert and a backup point guard like Lin might not be a bountiful harvest, but it’s a step in the right direction as far as planting seeds for the future is concerned.

If LeVert can shake off those early foot injuries and live up to his potential, he’ll join Hollis-Jefferson and McCullough to form an exciting young core that could be a big part of Brooklyn’s future.

Lin is set to have a big season with the ball in his hands more, and his pick-and-roll work with Brook Lopez should be delightful to watch, even without factoring in his extremely high marketability that will bring in additional fans, ratings and revenue by the millions.

More hoops habit: New York Knicks: 2016 Offseason Grades

However, as much as Lin, LeVert, Booker and Whitehead are solid additions, we can’t ignore how much worse the Nets will be next year without any sort of draft compensation to show for it. Marks has Brooklyn back on the right track, but it’s going to take a few more summers with far more success for the Nets’ rebuild to be fully underway.

Grade: B

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