Brooklyn Nets: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season

3. Shooting, shooting, and more shooting

Speaking of death lineups, deployments of constant shooting are also available at Atkinson’s leisure. Napier, Crabbe, Harris, Graham and Carroll are all above average shooters off the catch. Last season the Nets had three of these five, and Crabbe was more streaky than desirable.

Thanks to the newbies, the incumbents will have more space to work with. Floor-spacing has a domino effect, so maybe unproven shooters like LeVert and Russell can even get in on the action and up their efficiencies.

The Nets were near the top of the league in 3-point frequency, but way towards the bottom in efficiency. The new shooting, combined with extra ball handlers, should open up the offense even more.

I shouldn’t need to outline the benefits of having more shooters on the floor, but it’s pretty much the oxygen to any modern offense. No play designs work if defenders can sag off their men, especially not the pick-and-roll, the staple of Atkinson’s attack. More shooting leads to more space on the floor which leads to easier looks for everyone, even the bigs who can’t shoot.

A lineup of Russell-shooters-Allen is the model for a spread PNR, so long as the middle three players are, ya know, shooters. Which, unlike last year, they can be now.