2014/15 NBA Season Preview And Predictions: Brooklyn Nets; Brook Lopez's Comeback Season
The upcoming 2014/15 NBA Season for the Brooklyn Nets will pretty much revolve around Brook Lopez's comeback from injury.
The 7-foot Stanford University product only played 17 games during the 2013-14 campaign, and while the Nets made it to the second round of the playoffs, advancing at the Toronto Raptors' expense, he was sorely missed against the Miami Heat, wherein his inside presence was needed to take advantage of the Heat's relatively weak post defense.
Projected Starters: Deron Williams (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Andrei Kirilenko (SF), Kevin Garnett (PF), Brook Lopez (C)
Roster
Key Addition: Featuring a relatively strong starting five, the Nets had to make movements to their reserve list. Acquiring Jarrett Jack could prove to be instrumental since he can give them the luxury of moving D-Wil to the two-spot, maximizing his offensive prowess, but without sacrificing the quarterbacking spot.
Jack had been around the league for quite sometime and is a known no-nonsense player, knowing what it takes for him to fit in and eventually, make him a significant part of the squad.
Bojan Bogdanovic, on the other hand, provides length on the wing with his 6'8" frame, and is versatile enough to play either the 2 or 3 position. He is a deadshot from beyond the arc, as he has proven in the recent FIBA World Cup, and could be the happy recipient of kick-out passes from primary creators Williams and Johnson, while keeping the defense honest to give post players enough room to operate down low.
Another welcome addition is head coach Lionel Hollins, who gained national attention after steering a superstar-less Memphis Grizzlies to four straight post-season appearances, reaching as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2013, only to bow out to eventual champions - the San Antonio Spurs.
The 61-year-old thrives on implementing a defensive-minded system, as he successfully did with Memphis, which complements the presence of veteran stoppers Kevin Garnett and Andrei Kirilenko, as well as Lopez, who surprisingly has a career record of 1.7 blocks despite his lack of athleticism.
Key Losses: Brooklyn will definitely miss the services of Andray Blatche, who opted to join the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The 6'11" Syracuse native has a decent perimeter touch that could have made life easier for primary inside threat Lopez. He is agile enough to play the 4 spot and has the size to play center.
Shaun Livingston could be regarded as a key loss because of his contributions, stabilizing the back-court, among others, but having Jack as a replacement is seen as an improvement above anything else, since the latter is a legitimate threat on the offensive end.
Season Outlook
Best Case Scenario: If the Nets can keep their ageing core healthy, with four of the five starters already in their 30s, they can go as far as the Eastern Conference Finals.
Worst Case Scenario: A first round elimination to whichever team they may face.
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