Getty Kevin Durant #7 and Joe Harris #12 of the Brooklyn Nets celebrate the lead in the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks during game two of the Eastern Conference second round series at Barclays Center
The Brooklyn Nets roster is starting to look complete. They got the welcome news that both of their superstars, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be coming back to Brooklyn this season even after a summer where that looked impossible. They also see the return of two injured stars in Joe Harris and Ben Simmons. Each of those players join the newly-acquired TJ Warren, Royce O’Neale, and Edmund Sumner, as well as non-guaranteed deals like Markieff Morris, Yuta Watanabe, and David Duke Jr.
After adding players in the offseason and with those returning from injury the team has a pretty deep roster. Irving, Patty Mills, and Cam Thomas round out the point guard position. Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Sumner, and Thomas are options at shooting guard. Harris, O’Neale, Durant, Warren, and Morris make up the possible forwards. Ben Simmons is expected to get runs at center, and Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe are options there too. But what will the Nets starting lineup be?
Possible Nets Starting Lineup in 2022-23 NBA Season
In a September 20 article from The Athletic, Joe Vardon wrote that Joe Harris is expected to be part of the Nets’ second unit. After discussing a number of things that the Nets may face this season, Vardon shared that Harris will be coming off of the bench for the Nets.
“Joe Harris’ surgically repaired ankle healed. The league’s top 3-point shooter is going to be coming off the bench,” Vardon wrote.
With the revelation that Harris will be part of Brooklyn’s second unit, the Nets starting rotation has a little more clarity. Kyrie Irving will likely start at point guard, Seth Curry at shooting guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Royce O’Neale sliding into the Bruce Brown role, and Ben Simmons has been rumored to be the team’s starting center.
Of course, this could be subject to change. Nic Claxton and O’Neale could be swapped in their starting roles, but either way, the Nets starting lineup is a dangerous one. Then Brooklyn has a dangerous second unit with the additions of a scoring forward in TJ Warren, the shooting of Patty Mills and Joe Harris, and potentially Markieff Morris and Cam Thomas.
Joe Harris or Seth Curry Expected to be Traded
While the answer to who starts, Curry or Harris, was revealed by Vardon, one of the two could still be traded, and both have had their name mentioned in this summer’s trade rumors. One NBA executive told Heavy.com that he expects one of Curry or Harris to be dealt at some point this season.
“One of them [Curry or Harris] will get dealt before the deadline, that would be my guess. Both are really good shooters, obviously, that is their skill. But both are bad defenders who will be targeted in the playoffs. Obviously, finding a new home for either guy has not been the priority for them this summer so, no, they have not really had talks about a deal for either guy, so far.
But I suspect they’ll want to come out and see how healthy Harris is, see if he is back to his old form, then they may start to figure out what they can get for him vs. what they can get for Curry. Harris has more value if he can show he is healthy — he is not as poor a defender as Curry. If they’re going to try to make a deep playoff run, Harris is more likely the one they’d keep,” the executive told Heavy.