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Brooklyn Nets: 2017-18 NBA season preview

By Josh Cornelissen

GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally altered) Jarrett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally altered) Jarrett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets poses for a portrait during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images /

Best-cast scenario

If things go right for Brooklyn this season, it will begin with better health. After signing Jeremy Lin last season to be the starter, he missed 46 games with various injuries. If he can stay relatively healthy for the entire season, that will immediately help this team and raise its floor.

Losing Brook Lopez was a loss, but if Timofey Mozgov can be a reasonable facsimile then D’Angelo Russell could make up the rest and then some if he takes a step forward. The young guard is in a division where only Kyle Lowry plays defense among the other starting point guards, and he could have large opportunities to put up big numbers.

If head coach Kenny Atkinson can figure out a rotation where he maximizes his guard-depth without sacrificing all semblances of defense, the rest of the Eastern Conference cellar is soft enough that this team could claw their way to the top of an unattractive pile. A win total around 32 or 33 is a huge improvement but not impossible.

Worst-cast scenario

Last season the Nets won just 20 games, and then this offseason they traded their best player for a ground-bound center and an inefficient young guard who is not yet helping teams win. DeMarre Carroll was a bust in Toronto, Allen Crabbe is a one-trick pony, and Jarrett Allen is too young and too raw to help a team win games.

With a collection of offense-only guards, defense-only forwards and low-ceiling bigs this team doesn’t have the right pieces to compete. While they don’t have incentive to tank, that doesn’t suddenly give them the talent to win games. This team will be well-coached, but there isn’t that much to coach.

If Lin misses time again, Russell fails to improve on his past offerings, and none of the veteran players step up, this team could easily hit similar lows to last season. A year with wins around 20 is not only possible, it’s arguably more likely than reaching 30.

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