The Brooklyn Nets season is underway, and with the team sitting at 2-3 on the surface, everything seems to be as expected. However, throughout the first five games, there have been a few oddities that require further examination. Some of these are positive developments, some are more curious, and others will require further inspection as the season progresses.
The Nets have deployed some strange starting lineups and veteran-heavy rotations
Going into the season, it was assumed that newly-extended Nic Claxton would be the Nets’ starting center, and the starting point guard would be the winner of a battle between Ben Simmons and Dennis Schroder, however, that has not been the case so far.
Through five games, Claxton has come off the bench and seen a reduction in minutes, while Simmons has played alongside Schroder as a pseudo-point-center before missing Tuesday night’s game against Denver due to load management. In Simmons’ absence, it was second-year big Noah Clowney who got the start over Claxton, though Claxton did play a season-high 26 minutes.
Otherwise, the rotation has mostly favored veterans. Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson have been entrenched in the starting forward spots, while the guard rotation has been inconsistent, with veteran Shake Milton and Summer League star Keon Johnson alternating first-guard off-the-bench responsibilities.
Whether or not these choices have been matchup-based, are being made to increase the potential trade value of some veteran pieces, or are part of head coach Jordi Fernandez’s philosophy remains to be seen.
Dennis Schroder’s Olympic greatness has carried over to the regular season
Over the summer, veteran point guard Dennis Schroder dazzled for his native Germany during the Olympic games, and so far the regular season has been a continuation of that brilliance. So far this season, he’s proven that he can be a reliable second-scoring option next to centerpiece Cam Thomas, averaging 24.6 points per game on 54.7% shooting overall and 55.3% from deep.
Not only has Schroder’s scoring been dynamic, but he’s also showcased his strong playmaking skills averaging 8.2 assists per game, including 14 dimes in the Nets’ overtime loss to Denver.
Schroder’s played a variety of roles in his career, ranging from microwave scorer off the bench to lead floor general, however, he’s never sustained this level of Allstar-worthy play. Small sample caveats apply, but he seems motivated to be a leader for this young team and is responding by playing some stellar basketball.
Cam Thomas is still a walking bucket, but can he take the next step?
Thomas opened the season with a 36-point eruption against Atlanta in a Nets loss. He followed that up with performances of 24, 32, and 26 points over the next three games, before putting up 19 points in last night’s win against Memphis. On the season, that puts him at 27.4 points per game. His shooting line of 43.4/35.0/92.5 percent is eerily similar to his career splits of 44.0/34.5/85.9 percent.
The ability to put the ball in the basket has never been a question with Thomas, instead what fans have wanted to see is greater efficiency and more importantly, improved playmaking chops. So far, that’s yet to come to fruition.
Thomas is averaging just 2.6 assists per game, a tick higher than his 1.9 career average, though that career average is depressed by low minute counts in his first couple of seasons. Through five games, he’s turned the ball over almost as many times (12) as he’s generated an assist (13), and he hasn’t posted more than 3 assists in a single game so far this season.
Per CraftedNBA, his passer rating of 3.6 is good for just the 39th percentile in the league and is also identical to his mark from last season. It’s still very early, but so far, it looks like for better or worse Thomas is the same player this year as he was last, just with a more consistent role.
Ziaire Williams is a player to watch for the Nets
Williams was one of several young first-round duds that Nets general manager Sean Marks acquired over the summer in order to infuse the team with youth. While the sample size is small, he’s shown through five games that his acquisition may have been a steal.
On the season, Williams is averaging 11.6 points per game in 19.8 minutes per contest. While he’s been solid throughout the young season, he’s leveled up the last two games registering 18 points against Denver and 17 points against Memphis which are also the only games where he’s seen more than 19 minutes of action.
The 6-9 forward has always had a ton of talent, but there have been two questions he hasn’t been able to consistently answer in his career thus far. First, can he marry his athleticism with the basketball IQ needed to be an impact defender? And second, can he consistently shoot the basketball to be a positive contributor on the offensive end?
So far, the answer to both questions has been yes. His shooting will cool off as it’s unreasonable to expect him to shoot 56.4% overall and 56.3% from three, but if he improves from his career numbers of 43.1% and 30.9% respectively, that will be a huge win.
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Perhaps more sustainable has been his defensive performance. His defensive rating of 113.1 is among the better marks for wings in the league, and he’s shown that his long wingspan can be a nightmare, averaging 2.7 deflections, which is 76th percentile in the league, along with 1.2 steals per game.
Should one or both of Brooklyn’s veteran wings get traded at some point this year, Williams is a player who could step into an even bigger role as he looks to carve out a place on this roster, not just for this season, but long term.
What’s next for the Nets?
The Nets take on the Chicago Bulls Friday night for what will be their third game in four days. So far this season, they have been competitive in every contest, playing hard, and within a system. This bodes well for development, and it will be important to see how the squad reacts to such a heavy workload in such a short period of time.