For the first time in a few years, the Nets will enter a new season with relatively modest expectations, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who notes that the new-look roster probably doesn’t have championship upside. On the plus side though, it looks like it should be a relatively drama-free fall in Brooklyn, and team owner Joe Tsai is enthusiastic about the current group.
“I would say I’m excited,” Tsai told Lewis when asked about the upcoming year. “I’m excited about the season because we have a group of guys that are excited to be in Brooklyn. Yeah, that’s what I see now.”
With stars like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving no longer in Brooklyn, the Nets sound eager to embrace an underdog spirit as they look to instill a culture of grit and competitiveness, Lewis writes in a separate New York Post story. As Lewis observes, the team has a number of players who will be fighting to earn a roster spot, an increased role, and/or their next contract.
“That was maybe our No. 1 priority when we set out to do this,” general manager Sean Marks said. “We wanted to acquire guys — and keep guys — that have a chip on their shoulder, something to prove.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Cameron Johnson, who received a lucrative new four-year contract from Brooklyn in July, won’t be available when training camp begins this week, tweets Lewis. Johnson suffered a mild left hamstring strain during a workout last week and isn’t ready to resume full basketball activities.
- Asked today about the rumors that the Nets were one of the teams in on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, Marks said that the front office will always “look under every stone” but indicated the club was never seriously in the mix for the star guard. “There’s no substance there,” he said, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link).
- First-round pick Dariq Whitehead, who underwent a second foot surgery this spring, said on Monday that he’s not taking contact or doing any 5-on-5 work yet, but he’s been doing some running and is glad he had that follow-up procedure. “I don’t have to finally second-guess if my foot is going to be good or not for the season, knowing that it’s finally at that point where I don’t have to worry about and I can just go out there and play,” Whitehead said, per Lewis (Twitter links).
- In a pair of stories for The New York Post, Lewis shares his Nets training camp primer and digs into what it will mean for the club’s backcourt to have Ben Simmons playing point guard (subscription required). Simmons’ health status will be the key storyline to watch this fall, according to Lewis, who also identifies Dennis Smith Jr. as Brooklyn’s most intriguing new addition.