The Brooklyn Nets had arguably the best off-season this summer amongst all the teams in the league. The blockbuster trade that brought future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, alongside Jason Terry to Brooklyn set the team in a win-now mode. The Nets currently have one of the most lethal starting lineups in the entire NBA, arguably the best balanced. But how can the new Head Coach, Jason Kidd, make all the pieces work in perfect sync thus opening the way for an NBA Championship? Let’s break down the blueprint for the success of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013-2014 campaign.
First of all, the Nets know that they will have a couple of shots at best to win it all. With Garnett and Pierce aging and the team’s payroll at the moment skyrocketed, the room for a continuation with the same roster after the next season or the one after is small. That’s why the Nets have to make things work right from the get-go.
At first, they will need an All-Star performance from their superstar point guard, Deron Williams. He doesn’t just need to play good in some games, he has to deliver every night with consistency and set the tone for a strong push from his teammates. Williams has to be the mastermind of the team’s offense, setting up the flow, distributing the ball and playing the pick and roll with Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett. Brooklyn is fortunate to have a set of big men that completes one another. While KG is more comfortable from mid-range, hitting the 15-20-footer almost automatically, Lopez is strong close to the glass. He has good post moves and he can be a great factor on the offensive boards, a luxury Garnett was missing with the Boston Celtics during the past years.
The pick-and-roll offense can work as the bread and butter for the Nets, but that’s where the presence of Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce comes in place. Both of them have to work on their three-point jumpers. With Williams as the penetrator and a duo of strong big men in the paint, the wing players will find themselves several times open away from the basket. They have to respond and hit the shots, when they are given the chance.
On defense, Jason Kidd will have to find a clever plan that diminishes the flaws of each player he has available. Surely the starting five look deadly on offense, but on the other end of the floor there might be some issues, especially against teams that have powerful and skilled wings. Thankfully, with Lopez and KG in the paint, the Nets have the quality and the size to defend penetrating superstars and dominant big men.
Finally, the bench will need to respond with urgency when needed. As KG and also Pierce might not see heavy minutes, Andray Blatche, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko will have to play in a sixth-man manner. That doesn’t sound impossible, but the team might need some time to find chemistry.
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