Brooklyn Nets

Despite missing Kevin Durant due to a ruptured achilles tendon for the entirety of the 2019-20 season, and Kyrie Irving’s nagging shoulder injury, the Brooklyn Nets finished 7th in the Eastern Conference. The team was swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.

Brooklyn was 35-37 overall and 6-10 in the Atlantic Division (4th place).

The Nets will look far different next season. After a 28-34 start to the season, the team fired Head Coach Kenny Atkinson. Interim Coach Jacque Vaughn went 7-3 as Atkinson’s replacement. Recently, rumors began to swirl about the franchise pursuing legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

On the court, the team expects Irving to return and Durant to debut in a Nets uniform when the season starts. Durant injured his achilles in game 5 of the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Durant will be 32 years old on Sept. 29.

Wilson Chandler and Joe Harris are the two highest-profile players with contracts set to expire at the end of the current season.

History

The Nets franchise began as the New Jersey Americans in 1967. The team won its first championship (in the ABA) in 1974, defeating the Utah Stars 4-1. Julius Erving had 47 points in game 1 and 32 points in game 2, both wins. The team won a second ABA title in 1976, defeating Denver 4-2.

The New Jersey Nets did not appear in the NBA Finals until 2002, which ended in a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team lost 4-2 to the Spurs in the Finals the next season.

The team officially became the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. The franchise has earned a playoff berth five times since moving to Brooklyn.

Notable Players

Center Brook Lopez is the Nets’ all-time scoring leader with 10,444, followed by Buck Williams with 10,440 and Vince Carter with 8,834.

Jason Kidd leads the franchise in threes (813), assists (4620), and steals (950).

Buck Williams grabbed the most rebounds in team history with 7,576, followed by Billy Paultz (4544), and Brook Lopez (4005).

The Nets have had two Rookie-of-the-Year winners in Derrick Coleman (1991) and Buck Williams (1982).

Julius Erving won 3 ABA MVP awards while playing for the Nets.

Current Team

Guard Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn in this season with 1,318 points (20.6 per game) and 432 assists (6.75 per game).

Jarrett Allen grabbed 671 rebounds and DeAndre Jordan had 561.

Joe Harris almost doubled his scoring output per game this season, notching 16.6 ppg with a 58.3 percent clip from three (third best in the NBA).

In 20 games played, Kyrie Irving averaged 27.4 points on 47 percent shooting and 6.4 apg. His +/- dipped negative (-0.4) for the first time since 2013-14. LeBron James joined Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers the following season.

When Kevin Durant last played, he scored 26 ppg on 52-percent shooting with Golden State. If healthy, Durant figures to be a candidate to lead the Nets in scoring next season.

Brooklyn has the 19th and 55th picks in the upcoming NBA Draft scheduled for Oct. 16.

Management and Ownership

General Manager Sean Marks assumed his role in the Nets organization in 2016. He was an Assistant Coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio from 2013-16. After buying into the Brooklyn Nets in 2018, Joseph Tsai purchased controlling interest of the team from former owner Mikhail Prokhorov in April. The deal was worth a reported $2.35 billion. His initial 49-percent share was worth about $1 billion.

Roster

No. Name College/From

00. Rodoins Kurucs Latvia

2. Taurean Prince Baylor

6. DeAndre Jordan Texas A&M

7. Kevin Durant Texas

9. Timothe Luwawu-Cabbarot France

11. Kyrie Irving Duke

13. Dzanan Musa Bosnia and Herzegovina

17. Garrett Temple LSU

22. Caris Lavert Michigan

31. Jarrett Allen Texas

33. Nicolas Claxton Georgia

26. Spencer Dinwiddie Colorado