*NEW ACQUISITION∂45 wins ∂Lose 1st round ∂Kevin Durant will appear in a game before the end of the season.StartersKevin Durant hasn’t publicly
explained his decision to join the
Nets, but as general manager Sean
Marks recalled, after Durant signed,
he told the organization, “I love
the system. I love how you guys play.” What’s to
love? Perhaps it’s this: Brooklyn TOOK A THREE-
POINTER ON 40.3% OF SHOT ATTEMPTS last
season, the fourth-highest mark in the league. The
Nets’ three-point frequency in 2015–16 was 23.1%,
the third-lowest.
Kenny Atkinson took over as coach one year
later, and Brooklyn has now finished in the top
five in three-point frequency for three consecutive
seasons. Atkinson’s run-and-gun approach
will also appeal to Kyrie Irving, who made the
13th-most pull-up jumpers last season. Irving’s
quick (and accurate) trigger will elevate Brooklyn’s
offense, and it will only get better in 2020–21,
when Durant should be healthy following his
Achilles injury. —M.S.40.3%
TELLING NUMBER
ENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs inKYRIE
IRVING*
23.8 PPG; 6.9 APG;
48.7 FG%; 40.1 3FG%PG
JOE
HARRIS
13.7 PPG; 3.8 RPG;
50.0 FG%; 47.4 3FG%SG
CARIS
LEVERT
13.7 PPG; 3.9 APG;
42.9 FG%; 31.2 3FG%SFThere is a lot of
pressure on KYRIE
IRVING. His reputation
has reached the point
where we forget that he
made that shot in the
[2016] Finals. We only
think of him as the guy
that f----- up Boston.
This team is very similarto the Celtics, with a lot
of young guys. Do CARIS
LEVERT, SPENCER DINWIDDIE
and JARRETT ALLEN take
steps back? If they do,
Kyrie will get blamed for
it.... Kyrie is arguably
the best ballhandler in
our league, and maybe
the best finisher. They
will be a big space-
and-pace team. They
have always wanted
to play like a differentversion of Houston.
Is Kyrie going to be
like Harden?... Allen
is a modern-day five.
He can switch, block
shots, competes at
the rim. He has all the
winning traits.... The
greatest skill in our
sport is shooting, and
JOE HARRIS shoots at a
high level. They use
him as a floor spacer.
For them, having himstanding in the corner
is good enough. The
playmaking, that’s
icing on the cake....
LeVert is dynamic with
the ball. He should be
better without the
defenses keying on
him. His catch-and-
shoot game needs to
improve.... Dinwiddie
can get hot and carry
you for quarters. What
we have seen fromToronto and Golden
State in recent years is
the more playmakers
you have, the better....
Kenny Atkinson will go
at you in practice. Kyrie
is known to not go full
speed in practice. I’m
curious to see how they
coexist. Kyrie should
welcome that kind of
coaching. He chose
Brooklyn. He knew what
he was getting into.Projected Lineup
DEANDRE
JORDAN*
11.0 PPG; 13.1 RPG;
1.1 BPG; 64.1 FG%C
SPENCER
DINWIDDIE
16.8 PPG; 4.6 APG;
44.2 FG%; 33.5 3FG%PG
JARRETT
ALLEN
10.9 PPG; 8.4 RPG;
1.5 BPG; 59.0 FG%CBench
PF
TAUREAN
PRINCE*
13.5 PPG; 3.6 RPG;
44.1 FG%; 39.0 3FG%Crystal Ball: 75
NATHANIEL S. BUTLER/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (IRVING)
Nets
BROOKLYN
2018 – 19 RECORD 42– 40 4th in Atlantic
COACH KENNY ATKINSON 4th season with NetsTHE
EAST