Brooklyn Nets: Why We Shouldn't Be Worried About Their Preseason Woes

Oct 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Ron Baker (31) defends against Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during second half at Barclays Center. The New York Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets struggled during the preseason, finishing with a dismal 1-5 record. Still, Nets fans should not be deterred by the team’s lackluster preseason performance.

The Brooklyn Nets had a rough preseason, to say the least. They dropped five out of six preseason games, which is unimpressive if you hear it like that.

We were all high on the team after their first preseason contest, which turned out to be their only win. After that, though, many fans’ hopes began to falter. Not that you can blame them, but the preseason wasn’t a complete mess for the Nets.

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While Brooklyn only came out with one win, the preseason wasn’t entirely brutal to watch. Some games were close; others, not even by a long-shot. Still, the Nets showed some signs of developing chemistry on the floor, and many players put on a black-and-white uniform for the first time. Some players were surprising in their Nets debuts, both in a good or bad way. We also got a first look at which lineups Kenny Atkinson might use this season.

Now, with the regular season just five days away, it isn’t a good thing that Brooklyn is entering the new season with such a drab performance in the preseason. Not to worry, though, this isn’t an end-all-be-all situation. There’s still hope for us, Nets fans.

Here are five reasons we shouldn’t be worried about the Nets’ preseason woes.

Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Luis Scola (4) fouls Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Relax, it’s only the preseason

A bit obvious and overstated, but yes, it’s only the preseason.

Preseason games don’t count for a reason. It’s meant to give the players and coaching staff time to figure out which lineups work and which don’t. New players also get time to work their way into a new system and find their groove. And Brooklyn has a LOT of new faces — talk about a roster turnover. Not only that though, we got a first look at Kenny Atkinson as a head coach for the very first time. And that wasn’t too bad.

Plus, six preseason contests are not exactly a large enough sample size to judge how the team will do during the regular season. Brooklyn did not face off against every team imaginable, and even saw matchups with the same teams twice (Boston and New York). Even if you aren’t familiar with stats, a brief six-game tournament does not dictate the outcome of a whole 82-game season.

Furthermore, Atkinson made sure not to overwork his main unit in these “meaningless” games. In most of the contests, Atkinson kept his players to 20 minutes or less of action, with just a few guys exceeding this amount, but not by much.

The games that came down to the wire were what mainly accounted for a greater amount of minutes. In the Nets’ first matchup against the Boston Celtics, a few players saw more than 20 minutes of playing time, with Trevor Booker leading the pack with 30 minutes.

Additionally, the preseason finale against the New York Knicks was treated as a regular season matchup. This game came down to the wire as well, and the Nets fell very short to their crosstown rivals, 111-116. Jeremy Lin saw the most action (30 minutes), with four other players also receiving more than 20 minutes.

Most of the preseason matchups were not in any shape of form like regular season games though, and we probably (and hopefully) won’t see a correlation between preseason results and regular season results.

Oct 20, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) handles the ball against New York Knicks guard Brandon Jennings (3) during second half at Barclays Center. The New York Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-111.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The emergence of a new leader

Without a doubt, Jeremy Lin was the most impressive player for the Nets this preseason. In five preseason contests, the Harvard grad posted 17.2 points and 5.6 assists per game.

Lin also showed improvement in contributing to the rest of the team, with his assists spiking to his preseason-best in the finale. Against the Knicks, Lin scored a game-high 24 points and dished out 10 assists. The only downside was his eight turnovers. Still, not too shabby for a first look at the six-year NBA player as a Net.

Lin can be labeled as a leader on the Nets for numerous reasons. First, by the more traditional definition of a leader in basketball, he is their new full-time point guard. He’ll be running the Nets’ offense, and as a result, most of Brooklyn’s plays will be dictated by him. The last preseason game showed that Lin is already adjusting well to Kenny Atkinson’s offense. Not a surprise, as Atkinson is credited with helping Lin develop into “Linsanity” while both were with the Knicks.

Second, his age. Though Lin only broke out as “Linsanity” five years ago, he is 28 years old and is one of the older guys on the Nets’ roster. We’ve already heard stories where other players complimented Lin for his leadership, including one stating that Lin has already taken rookie Isaiah Whitehead under his wing.

Though we didn’t get to see much of the highly anticipated Brook-Lin offense this preseason, it’ll be exciting to see how Brook Lopez and Lin fare together in Brooklyn. Keep an eye out for all those Brook-Lin banners in the stands this season, and we’ll surely hear that term be tossed around a lot in commentary.

Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris (12) takes a breather during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

An unlikely star

Who is Joe Harris? Many Nets fans, including me, had no idea what kind of player the Nets got when they signed Harris back in July. If you want some quick facts about Harris and his time at Virginia, take a look at Sean’s player grades from last night’s loss — Harris was marked as the wildcard of the night. Despite yet another loss in the preseason finale, Harris put up 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, converting on all three of his treys.

Harris was a pleasant surprise for Brooklyn this preseason. Behind Lin, he was arguably the Nets’ second-best performer, and for good reason. The 25-year-old shooting guard has been shooting at a stellar 65 percent from distance through five preseason contests. This even includes a game in which he missed all three of his attempts. Three-point shooting has become a trend for Brooklyn, and Harris has shown that he can provide a hot hand.

Where Harris needs to improve is his defense, but there’s enough good in Harris for the Nets to have some use for him. He’ll provide some firepower off the bench, which the Nets desperately need since their bench finished last in difference efficiency last year. Harris will be a solid backup behind Sean Kilpatrick or Bojan Bogdanovic, whoever Brooklyn decides to deploy at the two in the main rotation.

After the Nets waived Yogi Ferrell this afternoon, it’s safe to say that Harris will land one of the final roster spots. Brooklyn’s roster is now down to 15, which pretty much means that roster cuts are finished. With what Harris displayed during the preseason, it’s unlikely that he’ll be the next man off the team.

Oct 17, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; The Brooklyn Nets pay tribute to the national anthem prior to a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

We have a great group of guys

For once in a very long time, it appears the Nets have players who won’t get into trouble or have issues with other players, coaching, or management. No more Deron Williams bickering with a coach, no more players only being here to pad their stats, no more of Joe Johnson‘s hefty contract.

The Nets have a whole variety of personalities on its roster. Everyone knows of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as a fun, easygoing guy, who also butchered Frozen’s “Let It Go.” And who can forget Sean Kilpatrick, who always expresses love for his fans? Even some newly-signed vets add to the good vibes in Brooklyn. Jeremy Lin’s recent segment on Comedy Central is a solid example of this.

Brooklyn has turned into a family-like environment, and that should translate well on the court. The guys have shown nothing but support for each other, both on and off the court. It’s rather common now to hear one player praise another in Brooklyn, which is only a good sign for the team.

At the very least, the Nets will be fun to watch this season. Excitement is something Brooklyn has lacked in the past couple of years. The Nets haven’t been a playoff contender since they had Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (though Thaddeus Young singlehandedly managed to help the team snag the eighth seed in 2015). Though it’s seen as a stretch for the Nets to reach the playoffs this season, that doesn’t mean that they will be god-awful to watch. The Brook-Lin pick-and-roll is one of many things we should look forward to seeing this season.

It ain’t that bad here.

May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks listens to Brooklyn Nets new head coach Kenny Atkinson answer questions from media during press conference at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Marks knows what he is doing

Sean Marks was brought in prior to the end of the 2015-16 season and began leaving his mark just a week into being named as the new general manager. On February 25, Brooklyn waived Joe Johnson in a buyout agreement, and that was just the first of many moves Marks would make.

Marks also made the most of the Nets’ few trade assets and dire draft pick scenario. The exchange of Thaddeus Young for Caris LeVert was met with some criticism, but should pay off in the long-run. LeVert still hasn’t stepped foot onto the court in a Nets uniform, but many fans are high on him. With an underwhelming preseason performance from the other Nets rook, Isaiah Whitehead, we can only hope that LeVert will turn into a star.