Next month the Brooklyn Nets 2021-22 season will officially be underway as the team heads to San Diego for the start of training camp. After coming literal inches away from defeating the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in last year’s playoffs, the Nets will be looking to correct any glaring weaknesses that the team has before they submit an official training camp roster.
Some of those glaring weaknesses are interior defense and rebounding which was on full display in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Bucks. 2021 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 31.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in their seven-game series victory over the Nets.
Giannis shot just 25.8% from three-point land and 48.3% from the free-throw line in the series which means the majority of his points came from in the paint. There were a lot of surrounding factors in the outcome of the series, but it is safe to say that if the Nets had a reliable enforcer on the interior, the series could have gone a lot differently.
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Nets Could Sign Paul Millsap To Compete for Starting Job
The Nets big three of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving are heading into their first full season together in 2021. General manager Sean Marks is looking to put the right pieces around his stars. One player that the Nets have had their eye on is free-agent forward Paul Millsap according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“Free-agent forward Paul Millsap is being pursued by Brooklyn, Golden State, and Chicago. The Clippers have also expressed an interest in Millsap, sources say,” Shams writes. “In Brooklyn, Millsap would compete for a starting power forward role alongside Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.”
Last season for the Denver Nuggets, Millsap averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. While his numbers do not jump off the page at you, Millsap has a reputation for being a ferocious rebounder that could certainly move the needle for the Nets. Last season in Denver Millsap served as a reserve behind Nuggets rising star Michael Porter Jr. However, if he were to commit to the Nets, he would be allowed to compete for a starting job, a role that the four-time All-Star is much more accustomed to.
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Patty Mills ‘Excited’ To Be Joining Nets
Millsap would be another key addition to the Nets in what has already been a successful offseason for Brooklyn. They have already inked Durant to a long-term extension and the extensions for Harden, and Irving could soon be on the way. Another key move for the Nets was signing free-agent guard Patty Mills who also has a reputation for being a dedicated defender. Mills is excited for the opportunity to compete for a title with the Nets and a different kind of playstyle under head coach Steve Nash.
“That style and freedom, you know, of what Steve (Nash) does such a great job with and, obviously, now being amongst the best players in the world is just a really exciting opportunity that I think I’ll be able to thrive off,” Mills said of Nash’s coaching style per NetsDaily. “I’m really eager to continue to learn about the game and continue to get better myself and find new ways that I can do that.”
Having two defensive irritants in Millsap and Mills on the same roster could make scoring on the Nets a nightmare task for opposing teams.
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Nets Could Bring In Coveted All-Star To Compete for Starting Role: Report