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The future of Brooklyn Nets basketball seemed grim at various points during the summer, with Kyrie Irving’s looming player option and Kevin Durant‘s shocking trade demand a mere hours before free agency opened. But the Nets were able to reconcile with their franchise player as he decided to return to Brooklyn to honor his contract.
Another thing Nets fans can look forward to is the debut of former Defensive Player of the Year finalist Ben Simmons. Simmons was acquired at last year’s trade deadline in the blockbuster deal that sent former NBA Most Valuable Player James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets opened training camp on September 27 as they look toward their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 19 at Barclays Center. In new training camp footage released by the Nets, Brooklyn’s star-studded trio took the court for the first time as teammates, giving Nets fans a sneak preview of what is to come this season.
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Nash: Simmons a ‘Great Fit’ for Nets
Parting ways with Harden, one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the league and a multi-time All-Star, couldn’t have been an easy decision for Nets general manager Sean Marks and the rest of the front office. But the Nets were able to replace one All-Star talent in Harden with another in Simmons.
Simmons brings an additional dynamic to the Nets that they did not have with Harden as their third star. That being someone who can consistently and effectively limit the opposing team’s best player on a nightly basis.
Simmons is also a great playmaker, similar to the role that Harden had during his abbreviated time with the Nets. Head coach Steve Nash says the All-Star forward is a ‘great fit’ with Brooklyn’s roster.
“For me, it’s pretty easy. Ben is a great fit for this group. He is a very incredibly important player for us. It’s not about stats. It’s not about jump shots. It’s about how versatile he is, the size and athleticism, skill, all those things he does,” Nash told reporters on Thursday via NetsDaily.
“He’s got to know how important and valuable he is to the team whether he scores two points or twenty points. He’s a big part of what we do and where we want to go.”
Nash Urging Claxton To Improve Free Throw Shooting
Another factor for this year’s Nets squad will be the continued development of their starting center Nicolas Claxton. Claxton was a restricted free agent this offseason and expected to be pursued by multiple teams, but the Nets brought him back on a 2-year deal.
This will be a big season for the 23-year-old big man as all eyes will be on him to see if he can make the next leap as a starting center in this league. One thing Nash wants Claxton to focus on in his improvement is his free-throw shooting.
“Really for Nic, it’s free throws. It’s not shooting from the floor. It’s free throws. I think Nic has developed this summer: his professionalism, physically he’s better, and I think his free throw technique has improved,” Nash said of Claxton per NetsDaily.
“There are a few tweaks we put in this summer that he worked really hard at, and they’ve become more much consistent, which is hard to do. I’m hoping he can shoot the ball better from the line this year, but he’s definitely put the time in and shown improvement on the practice floor.”
If the Nets can put it all together this season, they could be one of the top contenders for this year’s title.
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