The Brooklyn Nets have proven so far that they are not tanking. Feisty and competitive, despite a recent skid that has them 3-7 over their last 10 games, Brooklyn is doing everything in its power to build a winning culture that fosters player development.
During the early going in the season, and especially over the Nets’ last few games, one glaring roster construction issue has been readily apparent that is holding the team back from achieving this goal.
Brooklyn has too many wings and not enough point guards
As Brooklyn has gotten players back from preseason injuries it has become clear that there is a glut on the wing. The following players are all worthy of playing time to some degree:
- Cameron Johnson
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Trendon Watford
- Noah Clowney
- Ziaire Williams
- Jalen Wilson
- Bojan Bogdanovic (when he returns from injury)
That is almost a full rotation, just at one position. Further jamming up the works are the Nets’ big men, Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, who when both healthy will cut into the small-ball-five playing time that players like Dorian Finney-Smith have been logging.
Now, let’s take a look at the list of true point guards the Nets have on the roster:
- Dennis Schroder
Outside of Schroder, the Nets do not have any true point guards on the roster. Ben Simmons, while a point guard for most of his career, no longer has the juice to run an offense and his hesitancy to shoot makes his offensive sets essentially 5-on-4. He’s proven so far this season that his best position so far is on the bench.
If we take the rest of the guards into consideration, Cam Thomas is a score first player who, while making some strides in his playmaking isn’t enough of a facilitator to run an offense on his own. Keon Johnson, a Summer League star, is more of a combo-guard than natural point guard. Ditto for veteran Shake Milton, who also isn’t good enough to displays any of the forwards in the rotation.
A lot has been put on Schroder’s shoulders and the wear is starting to show
Through the first 10 games of the season, Schroder was playing at a near-All-Star level averaging 20 points and 7 assists per game. However, the German-born point guard has come back down to earth a bit as the load of being Brooklyn’s primary offensive initiator has taken its toll.
On the season, Schroder has averaged a career-high 34.3 minutes per game which is substantially higher than his career average of 27.4 minutes per game. While the return of Trendon Watford will help some due to the forward’s play-making ability, Schroder is still the primary option to run pick-and-roll, attack defenses, and find open shooters.
The stress of this role also limits some of the contributions he can make in an off-ball role. Shooting 40.8% from three this season on 6.4 attempts per contest, Schroder can contribute as an off-ball shooter at times if paired with another true point guard.
The Nets only have one internal option
Toiling away in the G-League, the Nets have one potential option who can help in the form of former seventh-overall pick, Killian Hayes. Hayes, who flamed out in Detroit, is averaging 13.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Long Island Nets.
While Hayes has had issues shooting the ball, his ability to create and find open players has been above average as his career progressed. Last season per CleaningTheGlass.com, his assist rate of 26.4% ranked in the 80th percentile among guards, while his assist-to-usage rate of 1.45 was even better ranking in the 91st percentile. He also cut his turnovers to a career-low, though his turnover rate was still below average ranking in the 41st percentile.
Hayes has only played five games in the G-League, and his shooting still remains a question mark. While he’s improved his overall field goal percentage to 47.5% against lesser competition, he’s still only shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc on 3.8 attempts per game.
Hayes might get some run in Brooklyn eventually, however, it’s likely the Nets will want to see him impress in the G-League for a longer stretch of time before making the call to bring him up.
Trade rumors continue to swirl around the Nets veterans
Dating back to the offseason rumors swirled about the Nets shopping some of their veteran pieces and those rumors have only intensified as the season has progressed as strong play from several key veterans has elevated their profile even more ahead of the trade deadline.
Dorian Finney-Smith has been an unsung hero doing the dirty work that contenders value. Cameron Johnson has turned in a career year so far in the early going emerging as a stellar secondary scoring option. Schroder, while less likely to be moved because of the roster construction, has generated some buzz in his own right. Bogdanovic, who has yet to play this season, has the pedigree of an elite sharpshooter and strong overall offensive player who may also have value if he can prove he’s healthy.
While many fans want to see those veterans moved for draft capital, Brooklyn already has an impressive stockpile of future draft assets. Given that, it might behoove the team to trade some veteran forwards, not for draft picks, but for young point guards who can grow with the team and even out some of the roster imbalance.
Targeting young guards is the best path forward
Clearing out some veteran talent on the wings in exchange for young backcourt players would benefit the Nets in a couple of ways.
First, it would help solve the roster imbalance and give Schroder the help that he needs. While Schroder has been a key piece for Brooklyn this year, he’s 31 and in the final year of his contract. He won’t be part of the Nets’ next contending team, however, as a battle-tested veteran he could be an excellent mentor to a young point guard who can eventually elevate to a starting role.
Second, it would allow room for growth for some of Brooklyn’s promising young wings. Ziaire Williams has played well and even earned some starts in games Finney-Smith missed due to injury. He could ascend into a larger role and do a lot of the things Finney-Smith has done to help the team.
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Summer League MVP Jalen Wilson is a core player Brooklyn wants to develop and has come on strong in recent games. Noah Clowney is one of the Nets’ most prized young assets and could benefit from more playing time. Trendon Watford, at just 24 years old, has an intriguing skillset worth developing.
Clearing out some of the veteran forwards would give the Nets an opportunity to give more playing time to these key developmental pieces, and exchanging them for a young point guard would allow the Nets to continue to play within a system that fosters development, while ultimately achieving a more balanced roster.
Draft picks make fans dream about the future, but having a functional team to develop them in makes a big difference in capitalizing on those picks. The Nets would be wise to use their veteran assets to bring balance to the team and give themselves a potential long-term option at point guard.
