The Brooklyn Nets have more decisions to make this season, perhaps more than any other NBA team.
Brooklyn is rumored to be “on the tank,” as the Nets have made several moves over the past years, including trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks this summer. Depending on their moves this season, the Nets project to have between $80 and $94 million in cap space next season, with Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton the only players on guaranteed contacts.
NBA Training Camp Battles: Will Ben Simmons Or Dennis Schroder Win Nets Starting Point Guard Job
Overall, Brooklyn potentially has eight players under contract. The Nets are rumored to be shopping Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ben Simmons, Dennis Schroder, and Johnson. While the Nets may make a deal before training camp begins, they may also wait until closer to the trade deadline to make a trade.
But until general manager Sean Marks pulls the trigger, coach Jordi Fernandez has plenty of decisions ahead of him. The Nets have 13 players on guaranteed contracts and a pair of youngsters on non-guaranteed deals. The Nets brought in several players on Exhibit 10 contracts to potentially compete for a job.
Fernandez’s main job will be to figure out his rotation. While there may be competition for one of the forward spots, Fernandez’s primary concern will be who will be the Nets’ starting point guard, Schroder or Simmons.
Clutch Points Jedd Pagaduan believes that Schroder could lose his starting job, while Bleacher Report Graham Hughes had this to say:
The Nets intend to be bad, but it’s worth wondering whether their lack of a credible offensive facilitator will make their struggles worse than necessary.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson are both trade candidates, and their numbers were going to suffer due to the talent drain of Bridges’ departure no matter what. But with Dennis Schroder and tunnel-visioned chucker Cam Thomas set to handle the ball a ton,
The Case For Dennis Schroder
Schroder is a scoring lead guard who looks to get his first. That doesn’t mean the 31-year-old can’t facilitate, it just isn’t what he does best.
Schroder had one of his best seasons last year, including doing the best job at ball handling. His 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio this past season was impressive. He also played well during the Summer Olympics for Germany.
Schroder averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 29 games with 25 starts with the Nets. He drained 2.1 3-pointers with 42.4/41.2/79.7% shooting splits and compiled two double-doubles. Defense is not his forte. He can be abused in the post by bigger guards and doesn’t move his feet well enough to stay in front of the ball.
Brooklyn was 12-17 with a -3.3 point differential after acquiring Schroder, including 11-14 in games he started. The Nets were slightly worse on both ends of the floor with Schroder on the court.
The Case For Ben Simmons
Simmons’s time with the Nets has been an utter disaster, as he has appeared in just 57 games over the past three seasons. The good news is that, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, he is fully recovered from back surgery for a partial discectomy.
“Ben is healthy, moving very well, he is better now than his All-Star seasons,” Simmons shooting coach Chris Brickley wrote on X. “I’ve never co-signed a player that didn’t prove it when their season started. Trust me on this one.”
Shooting has been a massive issue for Simmons. However, the 28-year-old is an elite distributor who thrives around the rim and is an elite rebounder. He is also known for his ball-handling and defensive prowess, though he struggled on that end last season in limited action.
Simmons compiled 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting 58.1% from the field. He produced three double-doubles in 15 appearances while averaging 24 minutes.
Brooklyn was 7-8 with a -2.5 point differential, including 4-8 in games he started. However, the Nets were slightly better offensively and defensively with him on the court.
Last Word On Who Will Start
While Simmons can play several positions, his play-making and ball-handling skills suit him best as a point guard. Plus, due to his scoring and lack of defensive ability, Schroder is better suited as a sixth man. Schroder, who has seen about 40% of minutes come as a reserve, has produced 11.1 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 42.8% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Both shooting percentages are close to those of his as a starter.
“To be clear, Simmons is best used as a point guard on the offensive end as he is still one of the best passers in the NBA, even in his diminished physical state at this point of his career.” — Sharif Phillips-Keaton of NetsWire said.
