The Brooklyn Nets finally begin the Mikal Bridges era in full. Jacque Vaughn will have hard decisions to make when building the rotation around his star wing.
The Brooklyn Nets finished last season as the No. 6 seed and were swept out of the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. That final result doesn't really encapsulate the wild ups and downs of Jacque Vaughn's first (almost) full season as Brooklyn's head coach.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the roster when the season began. Ben Simmons was expected to operate as the third star. The Nets faced higher expectations and more immediate pressure than arguably any team in the Eastern Conference.
Then, it all went south. There's no need to rehash every detail about Kyrie Irving's scandalous exit or Durant's subsequent trade deadline move to Phoenix, but the Nets began the season with one set of goals and ended the season with a completely different set.
Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson were the centerpieces of a massive trade haul for Durant. Bridges immediately posted the best numbers of his career and looked the part of a burgeoning star. Meanwhile, Simmons' return to form was, well, not a return to form. He looked completely lost and was perpetually unhealthy.
As the Nets look to build a future beyond the cursed 'Big 3' era, here is what Jacque Vaughn is working with rotationally.
Brooklyn Nets starting point guard: Ben Simmons
Are we back? Simmons' first season with Brooklyn qualified as an abject disaster. He averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 26.3 minutes per game, far removed from his All-Star heights in Philadelphia. He was coming off the bench by season's end and he only managed to play 42 of 82 possible games due to various maladies.
It's clear Simmons did not adjust well to the competitive environment around Durant and Irving early in the season. After citing mental health reasons for his holdout in Philly, Simmons went to the Nets with hopes of a fresh start. But the Nets and the broader NBA fandom weren't particularly patient, with Jacque Vaughn often leading the chorus of hard realists who called a spade a spade. Simmons wasn't up to snuff last season.
Of course, injuries were prevalent on top of the mental aspect. Simmons' back has been giving him problems for a couple of years now. It was actually part of what kept him out of Sixers training camp at the very beginning of his long, arduous holdout affair with Philly. Brooklyn inherited a less-than-healthy player still gun-shy from a shoddy finale with the Sixers. How could anyone expect him to perform under those conditions?
Now the Nets enter the new season virtually without expectations. Nobody thinks the Nets will contend for a title, but Brooklyn's also not tanking. The team is perfectly comfortable aiming for the middle and that could benefit Simmons mentally as he mounts another return to action.
All the reporting around Simmons right now suggests that he is healthier than he's ever been since leaving Philly. There is also buzz around him resuming starting point guard duties. While the lineup gets a bit complicated with Simmons and another non-shooter like Nic Claxton, the Nets have a pretty clear financial motivation to get their max contract point guard back in the saddle. Hopefully, Simmons is in the right place mentally and physically and next season can function as a true resurgence.
Primary backup point guard: Spencer Dinwiddie
The Nets will presumably stagger lineups around Ben Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie as primary ball-handlers, with both sharing the court plenty. Dinwiddie is a good complement to Simmons with his ability to spot up and attack off the catch, but he's similarly valuable as Brooklyn's lead playmaker. He puts constant pressure on the rim and he's one of the few traditional ball-handlers on the roster.
Other players who could receive minutes at point guard: Dennis Smith Jr.
Brooklyn Nets starting shooting guard: Spencer Dinwiddie
Let's say Ben Simmons returns to All-Star form or is at least back to a level that necessitates a spot in the starting five. That shouldn't diminish Spencer Dinwiddie's role too much. His assist numbers will naturally decrease, but he will still be a central offensive force due to his ability to create off of drives and pressure the rim.
Simmons is a tremendous open-court playmaker who loves to set up teammates, but even at his peak, he was limited as a halfcourt scorer. Set defenses will sag off of Simmons and ignore him away from the rim. He doesn't pose any pull-up threat, which means plenty of halfcourt possessions will cycle around to Dinwiddie catching and attacking or initiating from the top of the key.
Dinwiddie is comfortable in pick-and-roll actions and he's one of the few Nets who is truly comfortable creating his own shot. Dinwiddie's mid-range pull-up is a staple of the Nets' offense and while he's not a great 3-point shooter, he takes enough to keep defenders honest.
Part of the awkward fit with Simmons in Philadelphia was always the absence of another point guard to unlock him as a screener and off-ball cutter in the halfcourt. It's fair to be skeptical about Simmons embracing that role, but he looked willing to embrace new skills next to Irving and Durant early last season. A full-capacity Simmons screening, rolling, and operating out of the dunker's spot while Dinwiddie and Mikal Bridges pace the halfcourt offense could pay serious dividends.
Everything with the Simmons hypothetical is a huge if, but it's an exciting if. And, either way, Dinwiddie will be of critical importance.
Primary backup shooting guard: Mikal Bridges
The Nets will spend plenty of time with three, four, even five wings on the floor. In those instances, Bridges will be the de facto shooting guard due to his ability to, well, shoot. He's also going to receive plenty of ball-handling reps working out of pick-and-rolls and creating his own looks in the mid-range.
Last season was a real breakout moment for Bridges, who transformed his reputation from 3-and-D specialist in Phoenix to mid-range savant and primary scorer in Brooklyn. The Nets will try him at different spots all over the floor.
Other players who could receive minutes at shooting guard: Dennis Smith Jr., Cam Thomas, Lonnie Walker IV
The Nets made Dennis Smith Jr. a priority signing over the summer. He figures to scrap his way to minutes as one of the best on-ball guard defenders in the NBA. A former top-10 pick and nuclear athlete who was forced to reinvent himself mid-career, Smith's story is one of perseverance and hard work. Vaughn is going to like him a lot.
As for Cam Thomas, Vaughn's opinions on the LSU product is well documented. Perhaps too well documented. Thomas is a tremendous self-creator who can hit tough shots from anywhere on the floor, but he has yet to translate his talent to consistently winning basketball. He needs to learn how to play within a team context if he wants to stick.
Brooklyn Nets starting small forward: Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges was the centerpiece of Brooklyn's Kevin Durant trade return. While the Nets' short and long-term goals aren't terribly clear, it's impossible to deny how impressive Bridges was with his new team. In 27 regular season games with the Nets, he averaged 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 60.7 TS%.
The Nets have no real incentive to tank after sending the bulk of their own draft picks to Houston in the James Harden trade. That means Bridges is there to stay unless a true godfather trade offer is made. Bridges proved rather quickly that he can operate as the team's primary offensive weapon, but there's still room for growth in his first full season with Brooklyn.
Bridges dominated the mid-range for the Nets, comfortably prodding the middle of the floor before beating even the tightest defense with his sky-high release point (a pale but nonetheless impressive imitation the player he was traded for). He's a nimble interior finisher, capable of contorting his body and extending to avoid contests at the rim, and he's a well-documented 3-point threat.
The next step for Bridges is creating for teammates. He's a dynamic scorer on and off the ball, but his ball-handling possessions often come at the expense of teammates. His 2.7 assists per game with Brooklyn weren't great when one considers the volume of his offensive workload. Simmons and Dinwiddie are comfortable setting the table — Simmons may be only comfortable setting the table — but Bridges won't make the leap from star to superstar without elevating his playmaking instincts.
Primary backup small forward: Royce O'Neale
Royce O'Neale started 53 of 76 appearances for Brooklyn last season, but the roster squeeze will probably limit him to a bench role. There was a lot of head-scratching when the Nets swapped a first-round pick for O'Neale last summer (and that was with Durant and Irving still on the roster), but he lived up to his billing.
O'Neale was a perennial starter in Utah before his arrival in Brooklyn and he's a highly useful do-it-all wing. He provides positional size and versatility on the defensive end. Offensively, he's a 38.9 percent 3-point shooter who can connect dots with his quick decisions and underrated passing chops.
Even in a reserve role, O'Neale will play significant minutes for the Nets and potentially close games when the Simmons-Claxton duo becomes too cramped for space. He showed a real capacity for stuffing the stat sheet in unexpected ways last season and he elevated himself above the crowd on many occasions despite the Nets' mountain of depth on the wing.
Other players who could receive minutes at small forward: Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Lonnie Walker IV, Dariq Whitehead
The Nets wisely selected Duke's Dariq Whitehead with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Whitehead spent much of his freshman season with the Blue Devils limited by injury and he underwent his second foot surgery of the year prior to the draft, but he is expected back at full strength for Nets training camp.
Whitehead shined as an isolation scorer in high school but completely lost his burst due to lingering foot maladies at Duke. Still, he shot 42.2 percent from 3-point range as one of the youngest players in college basketball. The positive indicators from Duke, combined with his high school tape, landed him No. 9 on the final FanSided draft board.
His youth is a limiting factor so early in his career, not to mention the potential rust of returning from yet another surgery, but Whitehead has a lot of natural talent and he could pop sooner than expected for the Nets.
Brooklyn Nets starting power forward: Cam Johnson
The Nets furnished Cam Johnson with a four-year, $94.5 million contract in free agency. He was the B-side of Brooklyn's Durant trade return and he's set up to be a paramount figure in the next half-decade of Nets basketball. The No. 11 pick from the 2019 NBA Draft, Johnson is now 27 years old and smack in the middle of his basketball prime.
For the Nets, it wasn't a terribly hard decision to bring Johnson back. He fits a player archetype that every team covets. He's 6-foot-8 with a buttery 3-point shot (40.4 percent), versatile defense, and the ability to beat closeouts off the dribble. Johnson doesn't offer much self-creation, but he can drive the lane and provide enough outside the 3-point shot to stick — even thrive — in the playoffs.
Johnson was a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate with the Suns before the trade. He will get the benefit of starters' minutes with Brooklyn from here on out. The Nets have every reason to push the limits of Johnson's skill set. Jacque Vaughn will design countless sets around his versatile shooting stroke and, if Ben Simmons is truly "back," expect Johnson to be frequently rewarded for his off-ball movement.
While not an elite defender, Johnson can hold his own at the point of attack and he's always aware within the team context. He gets pegged as the power forward here by virtue of defensive assignments — Simmons is the more traditionally sized "power forward," but he will handle the ball and he's better suited to chasing guards on the perimeter than Johnson. Still, think of Johnson more as another wing and less as a true forward.
Primary backup power forward: Dorian Finney-Smith
Not long ago, Dorian Finney-Smith was the backbone of a top-ranked defense in Dallas. A top-ranked defense that propelled the Mavs all the way to the conference finals in 2022. His production and overall impact slipped slightly last season — especially after his move to Brooklyn as part of the Kyrie Irving trade — but Finney-Smith can still exert an enormous influence over the game defensively. Just look at Dallas' defense post-trade.
At 6-foot-8, Finney-Smith is another switchable cog in Brooklyn's potpourri of lanky wings. Simmons has the unchallenged status of top perimeter defender when he's healthy, but Finney-Smith is a proven wing stopper and ravenous help defender who creates a lot of havoc for opposing teams with his activity in passing lanes.
He only shot 33.7 percent from deep last season (and 39.1 percent from the field), so the offense is the primary point of concern. Finney-Smith was easily forgotten for long stretches and he can struggle to generate positive results once he's chased off the 3-point line. The Nets could still try to start him in place of Dinwiddie or Simmons, but it's more likely that Finney-Smith transitions into a specialist role off the bench.
Other players who could receive minutes at power forward: Ben Simmons, Darius Bazley, Noah Clowney
Brooklyn Nets starting center: Nic Claxton
Nic Claxton emerged as one of the best defensive anchors in the NBA last season. If it weren't for the Durant trade and the Nets' subsequent late-season plateau, he probably would've made an All-Defensive team — maybe even competed for Defensive Player of the Year. The Nets have no real choice but to start him next season.
That said, the Simmons factor does complicate the matter. Simmons and Claxton did not work offensively last season. Part of the reason was Simmons' singular lack of aggression, but even full-strength Simmons will not demand attention on the perimeter. Claxton operates exclusively as a rim finisher and he will spend the majority of his time stationed in the dunker's spot or setting screens and rolling to the rim.
Defenses will comfortably plant Simmons and Claxton's defenders in the paint, which will make it harder for the likes of Dinwiddie and Bridges to put real pressure on the rim. Any time Simmons gets downhill he will face two bodies instead of one, which has historically been a recipe for disaster. The only slight reason for optimism is Claxton's penchant for running the floor in transition. He and Simmons, at full strength, could torch defenses on the fast break.
That said, the Nets need to beat set defenses in order to win games. Claxton and Simmons might not be enough of a problem to tank the season, but it does call into question the long-term viability of the current group if Simmons truly does return to All-Star form. If Simmons doesn't return to All-Star form, then it could behoove the Nets to really hammer the Simmons trade market (whatever remains of it) to better balance the roster. Claxton's rim protection and switchability in the frontcourt were invaluable last season.
Primary backup center: Ben Simmons
The Nets experimented a fair amount with Simmons as the small-ball five last season. It didn't work, and frankly, Simmons at center wasn't very successful during his prime in Philly either. But, the Nets are short on experienced center options and there's definite theoretical appeal in Simmons as a small-ball five if he can continue to evolve in his approach.
Simmons has to become a more willing screener. He has to move without the ball, to offer more flexibility beyond straight-line drives and passes. We saw glimpses of Simmons as a DHO partner with Durant and Irving last season. He could thrive in similar actions with Bridges and Dinwiddie in the new year. Simmons rumbling downhill as a Draymond-style roll man has long been hypothesized as the next step toward stardom for the former No. 1 pick. Maybe he can finally embrace it with Brooklyn.
Other players who could receive minutes at center: Day'Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney
Day'Ron Sharpe was quite good in his limited opportunities last season. The UNC product is a hulking presence in the paint capable of finishing efficiently on offense and blocking shots on defense. His outlook really depends on whether or not Simmons is playing 35 minutes per game or 25 minutes per game.
Noah Clowney was Brooklyn's No. 21 pick, right before Dariq Whitehead. The Alabama product is another extremely young freshman who, at 18 years old, probably won't contribute much as a rookie. Still, he's a lanky, versatile defensive center who should learn a lot in Claxton's shadow.