The Brooklyn Nets 2024 season began in Atlanta last night (Wednesday) against the Hawks under new head coach Jordi Fernandez with the team admittedly back in a rebuilding stage. They finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last season at 32-50, missing the postseason. It is a safe bet they won’t make the playoffs again or even likely contend for a play-in berth this season given a roster devoid of All-Star caliber players and the organization’s vision to reshape the team with young talent and draft capital.
Guard Cam Thomas, drafted by the Nets out of LSU in 2021 in the first round with the 27th overall pick, is their signature player. The 6’3”, 23-year-old led the team in scoring last season averaging 22.5 points per game.
On the heels of averaging 16.6 points in 25 games during the 2022-2023 season for the Nets after being traded to the team from the Phoenix Suns in the February 2023 Kevin Durant deal, forward Cam Johnson missed 24 games last season and averaged 13.4 points. Johnson has given the organization hope that he is healthy and his explosiveness on the offensive end of the floor has returned, leading the team in scoring in two of the four preseason games, including scoring 32 points in 32 minutes in the final preseason game against the Toronto Raptors.
RELATED: These Nets are ready for a year’s worth of pain
The most accomplished player on the roster is 6-foot-8-inch point forward Ben Simmons, a three-time NBA All-Star who played only 15 games a season ago. Simmons did appear in three of the four preseason games for the team and the best-case scenario would be for the former star to remain relatively healthy and, build value on the trade market as he is on an expiring contract and will be unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Brooklyn plays in Orlando against the Magic tomorrow and will host the Milwaukee
Bucks in the home opener on Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They will host the Denver Nuggets next Tuesday and meet up with the Memphis Grizzlies on the road next Wednesday.