2022-23 Season Preview: Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets were predicted to win the NBA championship last year. Since then, they have lost Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, James Harden, Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant. They also lost Steve Nash and got swept in the first round. Now, with Harris and Simmons back to health, and with some offseason additions, the Nets have as much talent as any team in NBA.
The season starts on October 19th. Ben Simmons hasn't played in more than 15 months and had multiple false starts last season. The preseason will provide some hints, but we won't know if he can contribute until he's out there playing.
The Nets are expected to make the playoffs. They are not expected by many to win the championship. They need to play 50-ish games each and hope it all comes together in April, May and June.
Brooklyn Nets are the only team with two players who shot 50% or better on at least 250 2-point attempts and 40% on 100 3-pointers.
Kyrie Irving is an elite shooter and scorer, but his defense remains an issue.
Joe Harris ranks in the top five all-time in 3-point percentage.
Kevin Durant's offensive game is getting worse. He should reduce his minutes.
Ben Simmons will defend and get his teammates open looks in transition. His lack of shooting will be less of an issue with all the offensive talent around him.
Nic Claxton's free throw shooting in the playoffs overshadowed his contributions as a mobile defender and vertical spacer.
Seth Curry has had a great shooting percentage over the last two seasons.
Patty Mills needs to carry a lighter load this year. Has seen post-All-Star drops in his shooting numbers in each of the last three seasons.
Royce O'Neale is a wing defender for Brooklyn Nets. He has taken 69% of his shots from beyond the arc over the last three seasons.
Cam Thomas shot 52% on pull-up 2-pointers as a rookie. Nets were not good in his minutes.
T.J. Warren has played just four games since averaging 31.0 points on an effective field goal percentage of 66.4% over six games in the 2020 bubble.
The Brooklyn Nets have fared well in terms of statistics over the last 5 seasons.
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