Brooklyn's Beat

As the Nets’ all important 2016 offseason approaches, they will be taking a detailed look at free agents across the league.

Today, we look at the Knicks’ free agents, and the Nets options as to who they can obtain from the Knicks’ roster.

Langston Galloway: Galloway has emerged into a very fine reserve guard for the Knicks.  He shoots 45% from 3, and is a nice playmaker who couples those skills with a solid defensive acumen. Galloway is a restricted free agent, the Knicks have early Bird Rights, and given his impressive start to the season, they very may well take advantage of that and bring him back. However, with Jerian Grant in the fold, the Knicks may decide they need to find a starter, and price themselves out of Galloway. Call it unlikely, but if that occurs, the Nets should look into his services.

Arron Afflalo: Afflalo is a solid shooting guard, but is not as good as his reputation indicates.  He has a reputation as a good defender, but has fallen off significantly on that end. However, he is shooting a strong 38.9% from 3, which is in line with his career averages, and can be an asset on the wing for a team.  Afflalo has a player option of $8 million, played with Melo in Denver, and says he wants to retire a Knick. It seems likely he exercises his player option, or resigns with the Knicks.

Kevin Seraphin: In limited minutes, Seraphin has been a nice reserve big for the Knicks.  He can score the basketball and is decent defensively.  The Knicks have some free agents like Seraphin who have been productive this season.  Still, they want to add significantly to the roster in 2016, and cannot keep every free agent. Seraphin is worth a look.

Lance Thomas: It has been nice to see Thomas develop into a legitimate reserve wing and smallball 4.  Thomas is athletic, and defends well for the Knicks.  The Knicks like him, and will likely try to keep him this summer.  If they do not, the Nets should target him as a potential low cost addition to the roster.

Cleanthony Early: Early was a second round pick of the Knicks in 2014, who has yet to produce.  The Nets have enough fringe youth like Early around the roster.

Derrick Williams: Williams simply hasn’t panned out, and is now in his 5th year in the NBA.  He has a $4.6 million player option with the Knicks that, given his struggles, he should exercise.  The Nets should pass here.

Sasha Vujacic: Vujacic has been a nice veteran presence for Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant, and the Knicks’ other young players. In that regard, he can help the Nets as a veteran mentor to their younger players if the Knicks do not keep him. However, he has no on court value, and should not be expected to produce in any way.

Louis Amundson: Amundson is a fringe NBA player, and the definition of a journeyman.  The Nets should pass on him.

Trades with the Knicks: 

-Jack, Karasev, and Ellington for Kyle O’Quinn, Jose Calderon, and two second round picks: This is about the only trade that makes sense involving these teams.  For the Nets, they relinquish some of their cap space, but turn Jack into assets, and add O’Quinn to the roster, a nice young big.  For the Knicks, they open more future flexibility while trading one piece definitely not in their plans, and one who may not be.

While just how much better the Nets are playing is debatable, it is evident that the Nets are a better team now, at 5-13, than when they began 2015-2016 at 0-7.  Alas, the Nets are clearly not satisfied with their current roster (how could they be), and will try to improve next summer.

But perhaps they may try even sooner.  Mike Mazzeo of ESPN reported that the Nets have been gauging trade interest in Bojan Bogdanovic: https://twitter.com/MazzESPN/status/671786426283913216

Whether the Nets should deal Bogdanovic is an open question.  On one hand, Bogdanovic shot 48.8% from 3 in April last year, and 52.6% overall.  He looked to be taking significant strides, and one can easily envision him thriving next to a point guard who breaks down defenses, as a weakside shooter and playmaker off the bounce.  Given Bogdanovic makes just $3.6 million (approximately) in 2016-2017, if he even comes close to performing the way he did to close 2014-2015, he is well worth that money.  For that matter, even if he plays the way he is now, he is not a bad contract, on a 1 year, $3.6 million deal expiring in 2017.  To dump him now may be shortsighted, in light of what he has shown he can become, which is a low end starter or strong sixth man off the bench.

On the other hand, Bogdanovic is already one season and a quarter into his NBA career, and he is 26 years old, having been drafted in 2011 and having played professionally overseas.  Is it possible we have seen the best of him, or something close to that? If so, what we have seen is a streaky shooter, who can blow up on occasion but has a tendency to float through games, and a below average defender who is slow for his position.

There is no reason to salary dump Bogdanovic.  But if the Nets can get a top 15-25 pick for him, or a solid roster piece, they have to at least mull it over.

Which brings up the subject of Ty Lawson, who the Rockets may look to move, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders: http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-am-almost-trade-season-in-the-nba-2/.

The fit between Lawson and Brooklyn may make sense, if Houston decides to move on.  Many rosters are set at point guard, and Lawson makes $12.4 million in 2015-2016.  The Nets are one of few teams who have a need at point guard that he can fill.  When at his best, Lawson is a speedy point guard, who gets in the lane and defends on the other end.

But Lawson has been in continuous trouble with the law since the start of the 2014-2015 season.  The Nuggets could not wait to dump him. His play has suffered. And despite Houston seeing him as a piece that could help them take the next step, he has further regressed, the Rockets have regressed, and he finds himself on the bench behind Jason Terry. Shooting 33.6%, he’s flat out bad right now.  And the longer his poor play lasts, at 28 going on 29 and heavily reliant on speed, the more concern builds that he will never again be the dynamic player he was two years ago.

Still, if the Nets can get him cheaply, he is worth a look.  He may even be worth dealing Bogdanovic, given his established pedigree as a rotation player, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s emergence as a starting wing, and the reality that Bojan is unlikely to start for the 2016-2017 Nets, if they target a wing in free agency.

However, there are multiple obstacles to making a deal involving Bogdanovic and Lawson happen:

Fitting Lawson’s Contract on the Nets’ Books

Lawson makes approximately $12.4 million this season, and the CBA requires that roughly equivalent money be exchanged in deals.  Were Lawson for Bogdanovic offered straight up, the Nets would need to send a touch over $8 million more in player salary money to get a deal done. Bogdanovic is the Nets’ fifth highest paid player, so unless the Rockets were to take on 6 players making less than him (a remote possibility), the Nets would have to deal Lopez or Thad (which makes no sense), Joe Johnson, or Jarrett Jack, to facilitate the deal. Given the size of Joe’s salary, taking him on would require Houston to part with Corey Brewer or Trevor Ariza, and a young player or two of their own, which makes little sense for them.

That leaves the Nets with dealing Jack and a smaller deal (perhaps Karasev) to get the deal done, but that exposes other issues.  First, Jack has been better than Lawson this season — that is how far Lawson has fallen. Second, the Rockets are intense applicants of advanced stats principles, and those principles hate inefficient, high volume guards who prefer shooting in the midrange — in other words, Jack. Jack is literally the antithesis of what the Rockets are building, so acquiring Lawson would likely necessitate involving a third team.

Perhaps something like this, regarding multiple teams, would work, but whenever you involve multiple teams, deals can get complicated – http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=oxpvxg5

Lawson’s Contract Creates No Reason For Houston to Sell Low

Given Lawson’s struggles it is tempting to wonder if the Rockets will sell low on his services. But here is the thing: they planned for this scenario. As part of the Rockets acquiring Lawson, they convinced him to agree to waive his $13.2 player option for 2016-2017, and convert it into a team option.  By doing that the Rockets covered themselves for the exact scenario they are in, as they can cut bait on Lawson this summer assuming things continue to go south.  With that, there is no reason for the Rockets to undersell on Lawson or give up any picks or kids to shed him — their best shot is to hope his game resurges, and then just cut him in the summer if hit does not.  That complicates Brooklyn’s potential pursuit of Ty.

Lawson’s 2016-2017 Salary

Lawson may have already played himself out of the $13.2 million team option on the books for next season.  Regardless, given his pedigree and the rising cap, if he were to be dealt to the Nets and return to form, he will likely earn a $10-12 million payday, and perhaps more. Bojan, however, will make less than one third of Lawson, maybe less than one quarter, at $3.6 million per.  Is Lawson a player that justifies that difference in payment?  If the Nets decide he is not and choose not to keep him, then they lost a potential rotation player for nothing.

The Nets should not deal for Lawson unless they truly believe they want to pay him in the 3 year, $30 million to 4 year, $50 million range.

Should the Nets do that?

My look into Nets free agency options, beginning with Atlantic Division free agents, began with the Boston Celtics, and now continues with the Toronto Raptors.

As with the Celtics, we take a look at roster building options for Brooklyn involving currently Toronto players.  Who is a free agent the Nets can scoop? What kind of payday are they looking at? What trade options exist?

As with the Celtics, the same rules apply. All free agents are being reviewed, regardless of perceived attainability, although issues regarding retaining the free agent or the player’s status (is he restricted, is there in option, etc) will be noted. Also as discussed, the Nets are looking at $37,950,666-$43,620,786 in cap room assuming an $89 million cap, pending player options, with Lopez, Young, RHJ, Bogdanovic, and McCullough in place, and Larkin, Robinson, Ellington, and Bargnani having player options (which options explain the variance in cap room).

Now for a look at the Toronto Raptors and the Nets’ Options.

Free Agents:

DeMar DeRozan ($10,050,000 player option). DeRozan will not be free unless he opts out, but he is widely expected to opt out of his under market contract. $15 million to DeMarre Carroll? $14 million to Khris Middleton? DeRozan figures to earn $17-$20 million per season on his next deal, at least. While the Raptors figure to try to keep him, he may be attainable.  Masai Ujiri is not afraid to shake things up, and if the Raptors fail to reach the conference finals (or get out of the first round), Ujiri may decide this core is simply not good enough to contend. If he does, DeRozan is the only core piece hitting free agency, and in adding Carroll, drafting Delon Wright, and extending Terrence Ross, the Raptors have prepared for this moment.  I do expect the Raptors to try to keep DeRozan, but do not see him staying in Toronto, and Toronto wanting him to stay, as anything close to a lock — especially if Toronto has another playoff disappointment.  Should the Nets want DeRozan, given the poor play of Joe Johnson and Bojan at the moment, DeRozan would represent a significant upgrade on the wing. However, it should be noted that Kyle Lowry is the straw stirring the Raptors drink. Like Brook Lopez, DeMar is a good, not great, player. However, at 27 years old when free agency comes he would be a nice addition to Brook and Thad as the Nets build piece by piece. The Nets can and should be in play for him this summer, although the competition for his services will be stiff.

Bismack Biyombo ($2,940,630 player option): Biyombo is a piece the Raptors likely will try to keep, regardless of a retool or if they keep the status quo.  I expect him back in Toronto, although I also expect him to decline his player option.  He is just 23 years old, and while his offense is a struggle, he is extremely good defensively, both on bigs inside and in the pick and roll.  If the Raptors let Biyombo walk, the Nets should absolutely take a close look at his services. On a 3 year $12 million neighborhood deal, he would be properly paid, and would be a great backup for Lopez, given their contrasting skill sets.  Biyombo is the type of piece who does not make the headline, but makes a team better.

James Johnson: He is an extremely good wing defender who can guard 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s.  You can never have enough of those, and he is worth a look as the Nets build their bench.  Given RHJ is already on the roster, Johnson is the type of piece whose fit right now is nebulous, until the Nets add more to next year’s roster. However, he is a free agent to monitor.  His poor offense, and bristling about playing time in Toronto, are red flags, however.  Johnson appears unhappy in Toronto, and I expect him to hit the open market.

Luis Scola: Scola is a good scoring reserve big having something of a renaissance season thus far in Toronto.  However, I would not have much interest were I the Nets, unless I had enough quality defense surrounding him.  Scola does not play a lick of defense, and at 35, there is no room for improvement.  The Nets are better served adding quality defenders to their big man rotation than another big who can put the ball in the basket, particularly one whose early season stats may be a mirage given his age.

Anthony Bennett: The Nets have enough speculative reclamation projects in house.  Bennett is in year 3, on team 3, and still has been unable to make a dent in the NBA.  I do not expect the Nets (or anyone, really) to have much interest in his services.

Trades with the Raptors:

At the moment, the Raptors do not make for a sensible trade partner with the Nets. They are competing in the East, and there is no reason for them to take on Jarrett Jack, Joe Johnson, or other large Nets contracts.

However, as discussed above, Ujiri is a bold GM.  If he believes the Raptors are not a contender with this core, he will not hesitate to make changes.  With that, there may be options for the Nets at the deadline or in the summer, if the Raptors are looking to shake the roster up.

Jarrett Jack for Patrick Patterson and two second round picks: I would take a first rounder and start my offer there, but it seems preposterous that a franchise would deal a first rounder for Jack.  Patterson makes $6,050,000 in 2016-2017 and is a reserve in Toronto who does not appear to be part of their future core. With this deal, Toronto can buy Jack out at his $500,000 buyout amount for next year, and open up some more salary cap space to use on DeMar DeRozan, a pitch to Kevin Durant, or other free agents.  For the Nets, they would be renting just a portion of their cap space, and charging Toronto some draft pick compensation in exchange for the rental.

Jarrett Jack and Thomas Robinson for Cory Joseph: Call this the “Toronto would have to be crazy but you miss every shot you don’t take” trade offer. Do not expect a deal like this, unless the Raptors sputter, and truly believe a retool is necessary. Joseph is Canadien, is young, and is thriving in Toronto. Still, if the Raptors sputter, perhaps they look to shed his contract and rely on Delon Wright to provide minutes. If they do, he’s worth more than this, however, and I would rate the Nets’ chances at a deal like this as miniscule.

Here at Brooklynsbeat.com, we are starting a new series on the Nets, and their free agency options.

Regardless of what you may think of the Nets roster, their coach, and management and ownership, the bottom line is that 2015-2016 will be a lost season in Brooklyn.  All that matters this season is identifying who on the roster can or should be part of the future, and using those pieces as a selling point to attract the best free agents they can.  No picks under control until 2019?  You’re not competing via the draft. No trade assets beyond Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Bojan Bogdanovic at best? You’re not trading for elite and good starters.

The Nets future is bleak. Nobody can doubt this. But the best way to evade the bleakness with the current asset picture is to use the coming cap space in smart ways. Aside from Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, and Deron Williams’ stretched contract, the Nets’ future books are essentially bare.

Cap space can be used in multiple ways.  Of course, it can be used to grab free agents.  However, the biggest misconception of cap space is that it must be spent. The Nets can also use cap space to leverage teams into unbalanced trades. Starting on July 1, by renting their cap space to teams, and taking on bad contracts, the Nets can inform teams “want to dump that deal? There’s a charge … of a pick.”  That won’t yield lottery picks, but can yield picks of decent value, a la the Sixers grabbing a late first rounder for taking JaVale McGee off the Nuggets’ hands.

Through this series, I will review all 29 teams in the league. What free agents are fits for Brooklyn? What is the chance they may defect from their teams? Does the team present realistic options for dumping a bad contract in exchange for picks?

This Series Will Adopt the Following Rules: 

-All free agents of all teams will be listed. It does not matter if the free agent appears unattainable, is a 15th man, is restricted, or is only free if a team declines a team option they would be incompetent to decline. Everyone will be listed–although those issues may be clarified on a case by case basis.

-The series will identify the player’s free agency status (whether he is restricted, etc).

-Free agents will be listed in order by talent or perceived value, not in order of likelihood of becoming Nets

The Nets cap situation in brief

Assuming an $89 million cap, the Nets have $45,379,214 in guaranteed financial commitments that go to Lopez, Young, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Chris McCullough, Jarrett Jack (the Nets can waive him foe $500,000 guaranteed, or pick up his $6.3 million team option), and Deron Williams (his stretch exception payment is on thr books).

That number can fluctuate some. The Nets have about $5,670,12 in player options for next year, spread approximately evenly to Shane Larkin, Thomas Robinson, Wayne Ellington, and Andrea Bargnani.  All four players can either choose to return on options between $1.05 and $1.56 million, or hit the market.  From there, everyone else is a free agent: Joe Johnson, Sergey Karasev, and Donald Sloan are unrestricted, while Markel Brown and Willie Reed are restricted if the Nets choose to tender qualifying offers to them.

All things told, the Nets will have significant cap room however they slice it.

And now, we look at the Boston Celtics: who can the Nets acquire in free agency, and is the potential to leverage a bad contract into picks available?

The Boston Celtics

Amir Johnson: Amir does so many things well. He is a solid defender, contributes offensively, and plays with an edge. He is free, but the Celtics have a $12 million team option. That is a very affordable deal, and while the Celtics will will try to make a splash free agency, there is a strong chance that they keep him on that option to retain their talent, especially if they do not make a summer splash. However, the Nets’ needs, while obvious and gaping at the guard and small forward positions, are not present up front, where Lopez and Young are entrenched on the frontline.  With needs elsewhere, splurging for lesser up front talent is not the answer.

Tyler Zeller: Zeller is a talented young big, but also may be superfluous with Young and Lopez on the roster.  Do the Nets want to pay a young big 8 figures in the hope he develops, with so many other needs.  Alas, Zeller is also a restricted free agent; the Celtics can match any offer to Zeller, and there is a strong chance that they will.

Jared Sullenger: the Celtics have several young bigs and Sullinger is no exception.  I would stay away from Sullinger.  He is not a shooter, and is still not a proven commodity. And as a restricted free agent, Boston can match any offer.

David Lee: Yet another boston big. Lee can score the basketball, but is a lousy defender, and if there is something the Nets do not need, it is a scoring big who is not an elite or even good defender.

Evan Turner: Turner is an unrestricted free agent. The Celtics have several other more important free agency priorities, both on the roster and on the open market, than Turner. He may be had.  However, Turner is a chronic ball holder, and that has led to his struggling to find stable NBA footing. The Nets have been bedeviled by ball stopping in recent years, and do not need another ball stopper in the fold.  I would pass on Turner.

Jonas Jerebko: Jerebko is not a bad wing piece for the Nets to take a look at.  He’s shot 36% from 3 or above the past 4 seasons, and he is a solid defender.  The Celtics have a $5 million team option, but Jerebko’s minutes are low, and he is a player that may hit the open market.

Trades With the Celtics? Don’t Count on it

The Celtics are not a sensible spot for the Nets to look to acquire a bad long term deal, in exchange for the trading team renting draft picks to Brooklyn.  The sole guaranteed deals in 2017-2018 are Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Jae Crowder — three affordable young players who are big keys to Boston’s future.  The Celtics have no reason to deal a pick to Brooklyn in exchange for dumping a bad deal on the Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets are 1-9. They have a bottom 3 defense, and a bottom 5 offense. Close games. Blowouts. Win against the Rockets (who are an early disappointment) aside, this is a bad basketball team in 2015-2016, however you slice it. That does not need to be a reflection on the past or future. The facts, simply, are the facts. The 2015-2016 Nets are one of the NBA’s bottom feeders.

And it’s not hard to see why: nearly every Net is being asked to do too much, because of roster deficiencies.

Brook Lopez flat out gets too much flack from many fans, for the team’s struggles. He’s just one piece, and on a roster that has just 2 legitimate NBA starters, he is far too widely blamed for the team’s struggles. That blame comes from a common place: it is common that those who play basketball expect a lot from the big man, the tallest player. And that leads to inflated expectations for Lopez. Lopez is a good player. He’s probably a very good player. But he is not a great player, and gets criticized for not being great. Still, the NBA is not a league of stars and scrubs: rotation players at all levels matter. Look at the Knicks: they are vastly improved without the addition of a star or anything close, and that is because they have replaced non-rotation players with rotation players.

Lopez is a solid second option on offense, and a decent defensive big who defends well enough to function defensively around solid defenders. He’s masquerading as a lead offensive option and lead defender (when Rondae-Hollis Jefferson is sitting), expected to anchor a bad perimeter defense by erasing all its mistakes and breakdowns. Frankly, it is mind boggling that anyone would want to sell off the team’s only clear above average starter, when the team has so few assets to get a player of his caliber. And while some cite the NBA’s clear small ball movement, bigs are still valuable assets in small ball. First, with teams being flat out smaller, that makes big scorers more deadly — there’s a reason Timofey Mozgov starred over 3.5 finals games. Second, skilled bigs open the perimeter for smaller players to shine.

Thaddeus Young is very good as a fourth or perhaps fifth starter. A clear starter, a good player who can thrive next to your foundational pieces as a swiss army knife. Think of the Andre Iguodala role for Golden State (Iguodala could have started over Harrison Barnes, easily). Young is masquerading, however, as a second option.

The masquerading occurs, by necessity, up and down the roster. Bojan Bogdanovic, so long as he shoots 28.6% from 3 and plays subpar defense (the former really needs to improve, if the latter is what it is), is a 7th or 8th man, masquerading as a classic “elite sixth man” who finishes games.

Joe Johnson? I am forever grateful for what he’s done as a Net, and he will be one of my favorite players until he retires.  But facts are facts: his decline started last year, and has accelerated. He’s shooting 32.5%, 19.5% from 3, and playing below average defense. That is not rotation caliber basketball, regardless of his name and my feelings; nevertheless he is masquerading as a starter. Markel Brown’s numbers are similarly brutal and while I like his defensive potential, he’s not competent offensively, to a point he may not be a rotation piece of yet.

Combine Jarrett Jack as a backup point guard posing as a starter (check these depth charts out: look how much worse Jack is than most point guards – http://espn.go.com/nba/depthcharts), Andrea Bargnani a pine rider as a rotation player, Shane Larkin (who is too small to guard most anyone) and Thomas Robinson (who cannot score) are first time true rotation players.

This is a bad roster. And this is what happens on bad rosters.

So this season for the Nets is about 2016, and beyond. Who on the roster can be part of their 2016-2017 future? And in what capacity? From the coach down, here is a look.

Lionel Hollins: Should we be concerned

One thing sold as a positive for the Nets going forward is stability on the bench in the form of Lionel Hollins. And while the Nets are 1-8, to assume this roster would be playoff caliber with a different coach, or significantly better, and simply pin that on Lionel, is patently unfair. As discussed above, this roster is simply not good You can put Popovich or Phil in charge — this group is not accomplishing anything. 

Lionel is far from perfect, but it bears repeating: you can optimize this roster, and you will struggle to win games. 

However, there are some concerns with Lionel that bear note going forward. None of this is automatically fireable, or automatically means he is a bad coach. But there are real concerns that bear watching and monitoring.

Lionel’s over reliance on “security blankets” and vets like Jarrett Jack

Coaches are people. And people, naturally, will develop a level of comfort with other people, for a variety of reasons. Many coaches tend to have quick leashes with young, inexperienced players; there is comfort in knowing what a player can do because you have seen it occur. Lionel has that type of comfort with Jack, and with other veterans, which is a concern going forward. 

On one hand, it routinely bothers me when coaches are reflexively criticized for not giving minutes to young players because “they should develop and it’s a lost season.” Part of building a culture of hard work and accountability is making players earn minutes, rather than giving players minutes because they are young, and expected to help lead the future.  That, rather, creates a culture where players, empowered by the unearned, feel they can drive the bus, complain to their agents, or the like.

But on the other hand, the requirement that all minutes be earned should apply to veterans as well: regardless of their names. Yes, RHJ, Larkin, Robinson, and the like should earn their time.  But so should Johnson, Jack, Bargnani, and Wayne Ellington.

Johnson leads the Nets in minutes. Respectfully, he has not earned that.  RHJ and Ellington are essentially splitting time.  Ellington is a sharpshooter shooting a brutal 30% from 3 — he has not earned that.  RHJ has played hard, his attitude has been pleasant, eager, and enthusiastic, and he has brought a nice mix of “I am pissed we lost,” “I need to be better,” “but I am a good locker room guy,” to the table. Yes, RHJ must earn his minutes: but compared to the Nets other wings, hasn’t he? Robinson and Bargnani similarly split time (and there’s not much time available given the Nets’ starters up front) — has Bargnani earned that time?

Will Lionel embrace modern NBA offense: 

Anyone following the league knows: the NBA has become a pick and roll, three point shooting, spread the floor league. Nobody could have watched the Warriors torch the league and actually believe that the longball is a loser. The Nets, meanwhile, are taking just 16.2 threes a night, and shooting more does not seem to be a priority.

Sure, one counter may be the Nets are shooting just 25% on those threes, so why take more.  But even if you miss your threes, taking them has value in and of itself, by getting defenses to say “I have to step out there to guard the line.” Do that, and even if you are missing, you create more space in the interior, which helps your interior scorers.

It is easy to say Brooklyn’s tendency to the isolation has occurred due to Joe’s presence on the roster, or the players themselves, as it hasn’t varied from coach to coach. But one difference between modern and old school coaching is the latter tends to lean more on taking advantage of mismatches, whereas the former relies more on swinging the ball and letting the movement open up angles and opportunities. Lionel is out school, and his offense trends old school.

In addition to Lionel, there are concerns to monitor with the roster

Can a playoff caliber defense be constructed around Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young? 

This is a real issue.  The Nets were a bottom 5 defense post Thad deal, and also are a bottom 5 defense now. Brook is an average defender. He struggles guarding in space, and is a good but not great rim protector. Thad struggles with bigger 4’s. The two of them as a tandem will need to be supported by multiple good perimeter defenders going forward: RHJ is a start, but he is just a start. For now, it’s easy to see why the defense is bad: who on the roster is a plus defender, besides RHJ (a clear one), Markel (whose awful offensively), and Thad (who has clear defensive weaknesses).  

Can Bogdanovic consistently make threes or play any defense?

I like Bogdanovic. He is one of the Nets’ best young players. He is a future core piece. He has a nice attitude. And just 1.1 seasons into his NBA career, it cannot be said that he is what he is, without a doubt.

However, the bottom line cannot be sugarcoated — the Nets need Bojan to take some developmental leaps if he is to become an anchor like piece going forward.

Bojan is shooting 28.6% from 3. That is, flat out, a bad number. He shot just 29.4% from 3 in his last year with Fenerbache. His 35.5% number last year was strong, but bolstered by a wicked good second half, and it remains to be seen if he can be a 35-40% shooter from 3 on a year to year basis. Couple that with his subpar defense (he is slow, and gets both beat off the bounce by 2’s and bodied by 3’s) and right now Bojan is a player from whom you can see the outlines of a legitimate NBA starter, but whom currently is not at that level.

Can he get there?

Can one of Markel and RHJ become a true 2 way player

RHJ has been marvelous given the expectations. He flat out should be taking minutes from Joe and Ellington.  Markel is a very nice defender, with a great attitude. He should play more solely due to those skills.

Still, Markel’s offense is not rotation caliber at this time. Perhaps his defense has earned him time, but his offense makes it tough to play him 20+ minutes. And while RHJ’s %’s are good, he passes up a lot of shots and those numbers are inflated by the ease of his looks.

Can RHJ or Markel evolve from 1 way players into 2 way players? If so, that would be huge for Brooklyn. RHJ and Markel should be around in 2016-2017 regardless, but these questions will influence how good they can be.

And for my money, both players, particularly RHJ, can do it.