Brooklyn Nets: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
By Simon Smith
1. Nets to take small-ball to a new level
You only need to take a look at Brooklyn’s roster to determine its future direction. Center Timofey Mozgov aside, the Nets feature just one player on the roster who stands at 6’10” or above, which is rookie Jarrett Allen.
From Jeremy Lin at 6’3″ to DeMarre Carroll at 6’8″, the Nets currently possess 12 players on their roster who could become regular rotation pieces. This season, the term “position-less basketball” could easily be taken to a whole new level.
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As currently constituted, frontcourt players such as Carroll, Quincy Acy and Trevor Booker are all candidates to potentially play the 3, 4 and 5-spots, despite standing just 6’8″ or less.
From a backcourt perspective, the Nets potentially have up to seven players on their roster capable of swinging through the 1 and 2-spots, with Russell and Lin the clear leading ball-handling candidates.
Atkinson’s preference is to play at a fast pace and stretch the defense, having as many versatile players on the floor at any one time. This offseason, he attempted to simplify the outlook he had for his team this season:
"“We don’t even look at the roster like 1-2-3-4-5. We have our smalls, our perimeters that can handle the ball. Then we have our wings, then you have your shooting bigs and your rolling bigs. It’s like, I don’t anticipate any problems.”"
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Judging from Atkinson’s sentiments, there appears to be no limit as to how small the Nets’ lineups will be this upcoming season. And while a playoff appearance appears extremely unlikely, the Nets figure to be open of the more interesting teams to watch across the league.