Brooklyn Nets: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season
By Alec Liebsch
2. Mid-30s win total
Some would consider 34-37 wins for the Nets to be bold, but I don’t. They won 28 last year with minimal lead guard depth behind Dinwiddie, Quincy Acy getting 19.4 minutes a night, and Allen Crabbe firing seven 3-pointers a game like he’s Stephen Curry.
Needless to say, those problems are mostly alleviated this season. The rotation is arguably 11-12 deep now, with a potpourri of youth and experience meshed together. It’s no shock that Atkinson likes it that way, because no player in his tenure has ever averaged over 30 minutes per game.
That depth will matter as the season goes along, especially because of how the depth balances the roster. Atkinson can deploy two bigs at once thanks to Kenneth Faried’s versatility, send out Hollis-Jefferson as the Death Lineup 5, or use Jared Dudley as a stretch-5.
Combined with depth and competency is talent. Russell is a talented player whose hill I will die on, LeVert continues to show his versatility with each passing game, and Allen can be a top-five center in the league one day.
As long as the back end of the rotation stays fortified, any significant improvements from the front line will spike the team’s overall body of work. In the Eastern Conference that might be all the Nets need to push for a playoff spot.