The Brooklyn Nets enter the NBA bubble in Orlando with more questions than answers. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s absences from the bubble were expected, but four other top players — Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, and Wilson Chandler — also didn’t make the trip, with three of those players having tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks.
That’s left the Nets to fill out their bubble roster with substitute players, signing veterans Justin Anderson, Jamal Crawford, and Michael Beasley. They still have space on the roster to add more players, should they choose, but no matter what they are the team that has seen their roster change the most from when the season stopped to when it will restart. While few expected Brooklyn to factor much into the overall race for the East crown, now the question is whether they can hold on to their playoff spot despite entering the bubble in seventh.
ROSTER
Jarrett Allen
Justin Anderson
Michael Beasley
Chris Chiozza
Jamal Crawford
Joe Harris
Tyler Johnson
Rodions Kurucs
Caris LeVert
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Dzanan Musa
Garrett Temple
Lance Thomas
SCHEDULE
Friday, July 31 – 2:30 p.m. ET – vs. Orlando Magic
Sunday, Aug. 2 – 2:00 p.m. ET – vs. Washington Wizards
Tuesday, Aug. 4 – 1:30 p.m. ET – vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday, Aug. 5 – 9:00 p.m. ET – vs. Boston Celtics
Friday, Aug. 7 – 5:00 p.m. ET – vs. Sacramento Kings
Sunday, Aug. 9 – 9:00 p.m. ET – vs. L.A. Clippers
Tuesday, Aug. 11 – 1:00 p.m. ET – vs. Orlando Magic
Thursday, Aug. 13 – TBD – vs. Portland Trail Blazers
STANDINGS
1. Milwaukee Bucks: 53-12
2. Toronto Raptors: 46-18 (6.5)
3. Boston Celtics: 43-21 (9.5)
4. Miami Heat: 41-24 (12.0)
5. Indiana Pacers: 39-26 (14.0)
6. Philadelphia 76ers: 39-26 (14.0)
7. Brooklyn Nets: 30-34 (22.5)
8. Orlando Magic: 30-35 (23.0)
9. Washington Wizards: 24-40 (28.5)
WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?
Holding on to a playoff spot — and, if possible, avoiding a play-in situation with the Wizards — would have to be considered a success for this Nets team given how much roster turmoil they are dealing with. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn’t see this squad getting leapfrogged by the Magic and falling to the 8-seed, setting up a miserable first round matchup with the Bucks. More importantly, the Nets are going to want to see Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, and Jarrett Allen play well in this setting, even if the team as a whole struggles to keep up. Those are the three players that project as potential long-term pieces (with Harris a free agent this summer) on this roster when the Durant-Irving era begins next season, and seeing them to continue to take strides in the bubble is more important than what the team does.
X-FACTOR
We know what to expect from LeVert, Harris, and Allen, but Tyler Johnson is an intriguing player for the Nets in this restart. Johnson was highly coveted by the Nets back in 2016 when he inked a $50 million offer sheet with Brooklyn, only for Miami to match, and now he joins them looking to reassert his value in the league after being unable to find much of a role in Phoenix. If he can play well, it’d boost the Nets chances of dodging a play-in series with the Wizards and also maybe gives the Nets someone to look at retaining for guard depth this offseason, depending on where the market falls for his services.
Also, it would be very cool if Crawford and Beasley play well for the 8-12 games Brooklyn is in Orlando.
BIGGEST ON-COURT QUESTION
Will they be able to be competitive on either end of the floor? They weren’t a very good offensive team this year, and were downright disastrous on that end when Kyrie or Dinwiddie weren’t on the floor. Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley were brought in specifically to help them on that end, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen Crawford take on a significant role and be efficient in it. The Nets were a solid defensive group this season, but now they lose Jordan in the paint and length on the wing with Prince and Chandler out. Crawford and Beasley are decidedly not here to help on defense and with such a thin roster that now has to come together quickly, it’s hard not to see the defense taking a step back. They’ll need to be at least solid on one end of the floor to do much of anything in Orlando, but I’m not real confident in either unit.