The All-Star Game is nominally the midway point of the season, but the season was clearly disappointing for the Nets.
Brooklyn enters this week off still fresh off a 50-point loss to Boston, the second-worst in franchise history and the fourth-largest in the NBA this season.
To make matters worse, at 21-33 they are two and a half games out of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, let alone the actual playoffs. At the trade deadline, they released veterans Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O’Neal and brought in Dennis Schroder, but they had no other starting pitchers. Any other improvement in the second half will have to come internally.
If it comes at all.
The paper evaluates each remaining Net, as well as general manager Sean Marks and head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Departing players such as Dinwiddie, O’Neal, and Harry Giles were not given grades. Neither did newcomers like Dennis Schroder or Keita Bates-Diop, nor did a handful of cameos like Armoni Brooks, Noah Clowney, Darik Whitehead, and Keon Johnson.
nick claxton
statistics: 44 GP, 29.4 MPG, 12.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 62.5 FG%
Despite having a big stretch playing in drop coverage, which scouts told the Post hurt his energy level, Claxton had a solid season. He averaged a double-double for the first time (12.2 points, career-high 10.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks) and will likely sign a nine-figure contract this summer as he heads into unrestricted free agency.
School year: B+
dayron sharp
statistics: 39 GP, 15.7 MPG, 7.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 58.12 FG%
His 23.4 rebound percentage is not only a team-high, but if he plays enough games to qualify, he will lead the league by a wide margin. The Nets have already picked up his $4 million option for next season, but if he can stay healthy and show some ability to deal with a transfer, he could be a free agent in the summer. Will he offer a contract extension?
School year: B+
Lonnie Walker IV
statistics: 34 GP, 18.1 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 47.4 FG%, 43.3 3FG%
This can only be considered a huge success on a team-friendly $2 million veteran minimum contract. He’s obviously on a contract that’s above that and he’s getting paid. Despite not starting a single game, Walker is averaging a solid 11.5 points, shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range.
School year: B-
trendon watford
statistics: 38 GP, 12.1 MPG, 6.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 54.2 FG%, 38.2 3FG%
When it comes to subtle, under-the-radar moves, Watford fit the bill. With injuries to Ben Simmons and other guards, Watford has provided clever and effective playmaking that doesn’t suit his 6-foot-9, 240-pound frame. At just 23 years old, he was a great pick-up player from Portland.
School year: B-
jalen wilson
statistics: 16 GP, 14.6 MPG, 5.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 50.0 FG%, 52.4 3P%
Anything a team gets with a second-round pick is a bonus. Despite Claxton’s success, only around one in five teams make it to the league. But Wilson is the most NBA-ready of the Nets’ three rookies, earning a spot in the rotation and posting at least 17:45 in each of the last five games. He erases any doubts about his questionable jumper by hitting .524 from deep. Combined with a 6-foot-8-inch frame, that’s promising.
School year: B-
dorian finney smith
statistics: 45 GP, 28.1 MPG, 8.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 40.9 FG%, 37.6 3FG%
The 30-year-old Brooklyn veteran is the only one remaining here after the trade line ends. He provided much-needed toughness and grit as a power forward or as a small-ball stretch five, hitting .376 on 3-point shooting. If the Nets get him back to form after the hiatus, his lineup could be tight.
School year: C
Mikal Bridge
statistics: 54 GP, 35.2 MPG, 21.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 45.2 FG%, 37.1 3FG%
He leads the team in points, average, points and assists. He never missed a game and his defense got better. Still, half of the fan base wants him released as a draft pick, thanks to unreasonable expectations from the second half of last season. He and Cam Thomas are figuring out how to play against each other.
School year: C+
cam thomas
statistics: 45 GP, 29.7 MPG, 21.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 43.9 FG%, 36.4 3FG%
It’s an interesting case study, and one that polarizes scouting opinion across the league. What do you get when you combine A scoring and F defense? He’s scoring 21.2 points, which is the third-youngest player in the NBA, but his -0.1 VORP Tied for worst, -2.1 defensive box plus/minus tied for worst among regular players. His extension negotiations will be interesting.
School year: C
Dennis Smith Jr.
statistics: 38 GP, 20.0 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 44.0 FG%, 27.4 3FG%
Smith is as advertised. He’s a high-energy player who can be troublesome defensively, but he doesn’t contribute much offensively. Still, as a veteran minimum-contractor, he’s earned what he deserves.
School year: C
cam johnson
statistics: 41 GP, 28.2 MPG, 13.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 45.5 FG%, 40.0 3FG%
In many ways, he has grown — and by no choice, was required to perform more off the bounce than ever before in Phoenix. But it’s clearly a work in progress. He averages 13.7 points and is hitting .400 from deep. But the Nets are paying him $25.7 million this season, so they have to find a way to get the most out of that jumper and reduce his dribbling.
School year: C-
ben simmons
statistics: 12 GP, 25.7 MPG, 6.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 59.4 FG%, 00.0 3FG%
His back may prevent him from becoming All-Star Ben Simmons again, but for those not on the agenda, it’s clear the Nets are better off with him than without him. He brings rebounding, defense, size, and most of all speed and open 3-point looks. But he was making $37.9 million and had a slow season, appearing in just 12 games.
School year: D+
Jack Vaughn
He is a loyal soldier and very cheerful, which makes little orphan Annie depressed. But handed this flawed roster, he had to figure out how to space Simmons and Claxton, find a structured offense when Simmons was injured, shore up the defense, and connect with the team’s best players. Many issues had to be resolved, including synchronization. He miscalculates too many items.
School year: D+
GM Sean Marks
It is impossible to evaluate Marks. That’s because 1) it’s unclear whether a player like Dennis Schroder is a long-term asset or someone who should be released in the summer, and 2) more importantly, if he doesn’t The biggest decision that must be made is regarding the status of bones. .
School year: Co., Ltd.
