Brooklyn Nets: Letting the wings soar in Kenny Atkinson’s offense

The abundance of malleable wings on the Brooklyn Nets’ roster gives head coach Kenny Atkinson a lot to work with.

Everyone knows the Brooklyn Nets have a brighter future ahead, but what most don’t know is said future glimmers extend far past just the guard and big man.

In a five-man game, the other three men on the court are just as vital. The spread pick-and-roll that D’Angelo Russell runs with Jarrett Allen is nothing to sneeze at, but it is maximally effective when the wings around them can make shots and plays.

Fortunately, this condition is fulfilled by the likes of Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert. Not only can both of them shoot 3-pointers (36.7 and 35.4 percent, respectively), but they can also initiate secondary plays when the offense breaks down.

The first kick-out pass will seldom be open; the series of wraparound passes that follow are a toss-up to be good looks. So when all those passes fail, someone must make a play out of nothing.

Enter the wings.

The two aforementioned players do a great job making plays, but they are not alone. Joe Harris and Rondae-Hollis Jefferson can both make things happen as well. While they are polar opposites in terms of skill-sets (the former is a sniper, while the latter is a lockdown defender good at everything other than shooting), these two add unique elements to floor when they come in.

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The result is an armada of malleable lineups with which to surround the guard-center pick-and-roll tandem. Shooter-heavy attack? Check. A defensive wall of players who switch on everything? Done. Why not channel one’s inner Old El Paso and deploy both? The possibilities are endless given the construction of the roster.

While head coach Kenny Atkinson rarely has a tough time being creative, he does have some new levels he can reach on that front. In the era of small-ball and positionless lineups, it would behoove Atkinson to try and discover their own “Lineup of Death.”

Go five-out with RHJ at the 5, acting as Brooklyn’s version of Draymond Green. Run LeVert not only at de facto 1, but also at the actual 1 like how the Milwaukee Bucks use Giannis Antentokoumnpo in spurts. Try something new! Only seven games remain, the Nets are nowhere near contention and they also have no incentive to tank. If these not-so-radical lineups work, that is reason to celebrate. If not, move on and analyze the roster as a whole.

There should be nothing stopping Atkinson from pushing positional malleability to its limits considering the direction of the league. General manager Sean Marks did not add $18 million to the payroll for Crabbe to only spot-up. Ditto in regards to him trading for the rights to LeVert.

You never know what you have in a player until you let him run free. The chances of these players becoming more than what they are now are not necessarily high, but shooting for the moon will result in landing among the stars.

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Only two weeks of games remain for the Brooklyn Nets to fully analyze their roster. Such time is precious in the basketball world, especially for a team set to have a lot of decisions at the forefront.