The Brooklyn Nets are going to be really bad. Maybe even the worst team in the NBA. Only the die-hard fans will watch. This is for them.
The Brooklyn Nets aren’t exactly what you’d call must-see TV. Not in the NBA’s opinion anyway, as they’re only on national TV three times this season.If you’re reading this you must be a die-hard fan.
The Nets return just five players from last season’s awful 21 win team. They’ll be boasting a new head coach who’s in charge of rallying his guys behind the necessary extreme organizational change.
Core player Thaddeus Young being traded for the draft rights to Caris LeVert was a drastic change in the team’s makeup.
Young was arguably Brooklyn’s best all around player. He led the team in rebounds and steals, and finished second in points and field goal percentage.
The Nets were still willing to move on from that type of production in favor of a first round pick that they didn’t have. Things are changing in Brooklyn and that’s a good thing.
If you want to watch the early, painful stages of that slow change these are some of the games you should tune into.
You can see the complete schedule here.
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The Home Opener
- Date: Friday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Opponent: Indiana Pacers
- Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
The general lack of interest surrounding the Nets has become a running joke in the league. They finished 27th in attendance during the 2015-16 season. Having as many eyes on their home opener as possible will be important, it doesn’t matter who they play.
In this case it happens to be Thad Young’s new team though, the Indiana Pacers. Last summer Young signed a four-year contract and appeared to be a key member of the Nets long term plans.
More importantly, he was committed to the Nets and liked being there.
Trading Young couldn’t have been easy.
The Pacers are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum of the Nets right now. They traded for Young and point guard Jeff Teague because they want to win right now.
Indiana rolled out another elite defense last season. They were third in DRtg and sixth in opponent’s turnover percentage. With Myles Turner a year older they should only get better.
The Nets are really going to struggle to score in this one.
Next: Foo Philly
The Measuring Stick
- Date: Sunday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m. ET
- Opponent: Philadelphia 76ers
- Venue: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t won 20 games since 2012-13. Last season, they only won 10. So why is this must-watch TV?
Because after sucking on purpose for years, the Sixers actually made forward progress in the offseason. It’s possible the Nets could supplant them as the league’s worst team.
The past two seasons in Philadelphia has featured some of the worst offensive play in NBA history. Their 92.9 ORtg+ last season was an improvement over the 90.4 ORtg+ from the one before. Brutal.
The addition of rookies Ben Simmons and Dario Saric is creating positive buzz around the Sixers for the first time in years. They should be better than last year’s squad.
The Nets have a long road ahead in their rebuild and shouldn’t be judged in the short term, but falling behind Philly would hurt.
Next: Jack Attack
Jarrett Jack is Back
- Date: Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
- Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Jarrett Jack was let go because paying a 32-year-old backup point guard $6 million during a rebuilding season doesn’t make sense.
Jack added fuel to the fire with a strategically placed tweet over the summer.
Shortly after Jeremy Lin announced he had committed to the Brooklyn Nets via Twitter, Jack took to social media to display what everyone thought was his reaction.
Not exactly an endorsement for his inevitable replacement.
Jack decided to hilariously backpedal 25 minutes later and claim that the two tweets weren’t related.
He just happened to think something else was funny, 20 minutes after Lin’s tweet.
Jack was asked to do too much last season. His defensive issues and inefficient shooting prevent him from being the starter the Nets needed. He will be missed by Lopez, who he got along well with on and off the court.
Next: City Showdown
The Beginning of a Rivalry?
- Dates: Wednesday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sunday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET
- Opponent: New York Knicks
- Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
The Nets haven’t been in Brooklyn long enough for the Knicks to consider them a rival.
The Knicks consistently finish in the top 5 in attendance every year, and their NYC counterparts can’t get people to show up to a playoff game.
The Nets are hoping that the acquisition of former Knick Jeremy Lin will mean more production from the point guard position, but it could be a point of contention when they face Lin’s old teammate, Carmelo Anthony.
It’s no secret that Anthony didn’t like playing with Lin. Melo was jealous of the attention that Linsanity was getting, but more importantly he was angry with the shots it was taking away from him.
While the rest of the team rallied around the young point guard’s success, Anthony and J.R. Smith wanted him gone. And go he did, off to Houston.
Lin claims there’s no bad blood there but in July he told the NY Post that if he had it his way he would’ve retired with the Knicks.
Anthony’s presence made sure that wasn’t a possibility. That has to make it sting a little bit.
Next: D-Will
Will Deron Williams Play?
- Date: Sunday, March 19 at 12 p.m. ET
- Opponent: Dallas Mavericks
- Venue: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Deron Williams and the Nets had a less than amicable separation.
After years of frustration caused by inconsistent play and injuries, his contract was bought out last summer with two years remaining. Williams has since joined the Dallas Mavericks.
When the Mavericks visited the Barclays Center last season Williams was conveniently out with a strained hamstring.
This will be his first appearance in front of Brooklyn fans who shouldn’t be happy to see him.
Deron Williams let them down. He was supposed to lead the Nets through a difficult transition to Brooklyn and instead became another symbol of their numerous failures.
NEXT: Brooklyn Nets Players Put On A Show At Rucker Park (Video)
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