Nets Notes: Tanking, Rookies, Marks, Schedule

The NBA may be taking a harder stance on tanking but that can’t deter the Nets from getting the best possible position in the loaded lottery, Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines.

Lewis notes the Nets are more talent deficient than other teams who are elbowing for lottery positions. Getting one of those high picks is crucial to accelerating their rebuild. They come out of the All-Star break just a game out of the No. 2 lottery spot and need to keep the wins for the remainder of the season at a minimum.

Here’s more on the Nets:

• In his evaluation of the team’s performance prior to the break, Lewis points out that most of their rookies remain question marks. In particular, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf still have a lot to prove, though lottery pick Egor Demin has shown that he can be a steady factor — he’s had 34 straight games with a 3-pointer, an NBA rookie record. Nolan Traore has also deveeloped into a more reliable threat, posting averages of 13.1 points and 5.6 assists since Jan. 23 on 51.1 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent from distance.
• In an in-depth piece, Lewis takes a look at Sean Marks’ roller-coaster decade as GM. One anonyhmous assistant GM praised Marks for a couple of his biggest deals. “Yeah, he’s had some big wins. The (Kevin) Durant trade (to Phoenix) was a big win. The Mikal Bridges trade (to the Knicks) was a big win,” the assistant GM said. “Other executives that were less good negotiators than Sean might have accepted the deal at a lower price point and not gotten as much. And his willingness to stick to his guns on those got him some big wins.”
• The schedule after the break could facilitate the Nets’ desire to pile up the losses. Among their next dozen games include a pair against Eastern Conference leader Detroit as well as two games apiece against Cleveland and Miami. They also have  to play Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Boston during that span.