How will Jeremy Lin, Brook Lopez and the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets do in 2016-17?
Here are our player scouting reports and analysis.
Projected starters
Jeremy Lin
Position: Guard
Experience: 6 years
Age: 28
Scouting report
+ Plus backup point guard and adequate starting option
+ Solid pick-and-roll player who also can play off the ball
+ Good defender against smaller opponents
Analysis
Four and a half years after Linsanity, Lin returns to New York City an established NBA veteran. While Lin hasn't started full time since 2012-13, and played primarily off the bench last season with the Charlotte Hornets, he was one of the top point guards on the market this summer and a major upgrade at Brooklyn's weakest spot.
The Nets were a great destination for Lin because this is the first time since Linsanity he'll have the ball in his hands full time, without a star shooting guard (James Harden and Kobe Bryant) or established starting point guard (Kemba Walker) with whom to share it. Lin has become a good enough 3-point shooter to play off the ball; he played more minutes with Walker last season (1,179) than as lead point guard (868). But Lin is still at his best running the high pick-and-roll with the floor spaced (OK, the latter is unlikely to happen in Brooklyn). He averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 assists per 36 minutes last season as a point guard, according to NBA.com/Stats, as compared to 14.5 and 3.2 playing with Walker.
Lin's plus size for a point guard enabled him to defend shooting guards much of last season, although he had trouble against Dwyane Wade in the playoffs. Back at point guard, his size goes from adequate to a strength. While Lin will get beat off the dribble, like all point guards, he's got the size to recover and contest shots. He'll also be able to interchange at times with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on D.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Position: Guard
Experience: 1 year
Age: 21
Scouting report
+ Exceptional defender against multiple positions
+ Strong thief with quick hands
+ Good playmaker from wing whose shooting is questionable
Analysis
Besides not having their draft pick, the biggest bummer of the Nets' 2015-16 season was Hollis-Jefferson fracturing his ankle in early December. The injury sidelined Hollis-Jefferson until the final month of the schedule, interrupting a promising debut campaign that would likely have earned All-Rookie honors.
Hollis-Jefferson proved as good as advertised defensively. He was one of four guards in the league to rate at least two points better than league average on D in ESPN's real plus-minus (veterans Tony Allen, Danny Green and Chris Paul were the others). Hollis-Jefferson's combination of long arms (his wingspan is 7-foot-2) and quick feet enable him to defend basically every position except center. He's probably best against point guards, where his size interferes with passing lanes and peripheral vision. More than just an individual stopper, Hollis-Jefferson ranked in the league's top five in steal rate, blocked nearly a shot per 36 minutes and rebounded like a center on the defensive glass. He's got the potential to become one of the league's top defenders as soon as this season.
To become a complete player, Hollis-Jefferson must continue to improve his shooting. He's got an awkward, painful-looking release and made just four 3-pointers in 14 attempts as a rookie. Hollis-Jefferson is more accurate inside the arc, shooting 40.6 percent on 2-point attempts beyond 16 feet according to Basketball-Reference.com. He's also got good court vision and handed out 2.5 assists per 36 minutes. Hollis-Jefferson has the ballhandling chops to create his own shot; now it's just a matter of being able to hit them.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Position: Forward
Experience: 2 years
Age: 27
Scouting report
+ Big wing with ability to space the floor
+ High-variance shooter capable of big games
+ Has size, strength to defend bigger opponents
Analysis
On March 15 against Philadelphia, Bogdanovic exploded for a career-high 44 points on 17-of-27 shooting -- nearly four times his season average of 11.2 points per game, the lowest for any player to reach the 40-point mark last season.
While that huge scoring effort was atypical for Bogdanovic, it reflects his ups and downs offensively. Bogdanovic topped 20-plus points nine times and had three games where he went scoreless in 20-plus minutes. In part, that's a function of Bogdanovic's reliance on the 3-point shot -- nearly half his attempts last season came from beyond the arc. He rarely creates his own shot off the dribble, and Bogdanovic's post-up game against smaller defenders yields mixed results. He shot 35.4 percent on 48 post-up opportunities, per Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats.
Bogdanovic's strength is more of an asset on defense, where he can guard smaller power forwards at 6-foot-8. He's only OK defending wings, though starting alongside Rondae Hollis-Jefferson allows him to hide out on the opposition's weaker scorer. RPM took an especially dim view of his defense last season, rating Bogdanovic among the league's bottom 10 players in defensive rating.
Trevor Booker
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
Age: 28
Scouting report
+ Energetic power forward with opportunity for larger role
+ Has attempted to stretch range to 3-point line with mixed results
+ Quality defensive rebounder; can block the occasional shot
Analysis
Never a full-time starter, Booker topped out with 45 starts in 2013-14, his last season with the Washington Wizards before two mostly spent coming off the bench with the Utah Jazz. Booker has a chance to surpass that mark after landing a two-year, $18-plus million deal from the Nets that puts him third on the team in salary.
Booker entered the league almost solely an interior scorer, then slowly added range to his game before attempting to become a 3-point shooter in Utah. He made 29 triples at a near-average 34.5 percent clip in 2014-15 before slipping to 12 makes and 29.3 percent accuracy last season. Booker did hone his shot selection last season, excising most 2-point attempts away from the basket and actually attempting the highest percentage of shots inside three feet of his career according to Basketball-Reference.com. That discipline could pay greater dividends if Booker shoots closer to his career mark inside three feet (69.6 percent) than last year's 63.5 percent.
At 6-foot-8, Booker is on the small side for a power forward but gets off the ground well enough to be an average shot-blocker for his position. He's better than average on the defensive glass, where he pulled down a career-high 20.4 percent of opponents' misses last season.
Brook Lopez
Position: Center
Experience: 8 years
Age: 28
Scouting report
+ Skilled offensive center who scores efficiently
+ Capable of operating in high or low post
+ Plodding defender who will block shots when in position
Analysis
Fully healthy -- eight of the nine games he missed were healthy scratches with the team long out of playoff contention, and the other was due to illness -- and established as the starting center after his strong finish to 2014-15, Lopez enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Now the question is whether that performance (and that health) might lead the Nets to sell high after new GM Sean Marks dealt away fellow frontcourt starter Thaddeus Young for a draft pick.
Lopez is among the league's most skilled offensive centers. He uses good footwork and soft touch to score in the low post. Only LaMarcus Aldridge scored more points on post-ups, per Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats, and Lopez and Nikola Vucevic were the two players to shoot better than 50 percent on at least 200 post-up attempts. Lopez is good facing the basket too. He shot a solid 45.2 percent from 10-16 feet, according to Basketball-Reference.com, and is a willing passer from the high post -- one skill that differentiates him from many post-up scorers who are drags on their team offensively. And when Lopez gets fouled (often on rip-through moves), he's nearly an 80 percent shooter from the charity stripe.
At this point, Lopez is probably underrated defensively. He's slow-footed -- a series of foot injuries haven't helped -- and has no choice but to drop back into the paint when defending the pick-and-roll. Lopez also can struggle to get to the rim when dragged out to the perimeter. When in position, however, his size is an impediment to opposing players. Lopez blocks shots at an above-average rate and rarely fouls. So RPM rated him just outside the league's top 20 centers defensively.
Reserves
Greivis Vasquez
Position: Guard
Experience: 6 years
Age: 29
Scouting report
+ Big point guard who has struggled to defend smaller opponents
+ Natural playmaker; also capable outside shooter
+ Above-average rebounder for a point guard
Analysis
The Milwaukee Bucks sent the Toronto Raptors a future first-round pick and the second-round pick that became Norman Powell in exchange for Vasquez during the 2015 draft. Whoops. Even before Vasquez went down with an ankle injury that required surgery and cost him 58 games, the trade looked like a major overpay. The Bucks made no effort to retain Vasquez as a free agent, and he signed a one-year deal worth $4.4 million with Brooklyn.
Presuming last year's poor shooting (24.7 percent on 73 3-point attempts, down from 37 percent-plus the previous two seasons) was mostly a function of sample size and injury, Vasquez can still be an effective offensive point guard. While he can't really break down opponents off the dribble anymore at age 29, Vasquez is enough of a threat as a shooter to play off the ball and will make the right pass from the perimeter -- often over the top of smaller defenders.
As Vasquez has slowed down, his foot speed -- never a strength -- has become increasingly problematic. He can't really stay in front of point guards, which makes the Nets a good destination because they have a variety of backcourt-mates who can crossmatch with Vasquez defensively. He will contribute on the defensive glass, though his steal rate is poor for a point guard.
Luis Scola
Position: Forward
Experience: 9 years
Age: 36
Scouting report
+ Veteran leader and quality teammate
+ Pick-and-pop big man who has become 3-point threat
+ Willing charge-taker who rarely blocks shots
Analysis
At age 35, Scola started all 76 games he played for a Raptors team that won 56 games. Scola's role was always partially ceremonial -- he played in the fourth quarter of just 29 games as Toronto turned to sixth man Patrick Patterson at power forward -- and he fell almost entirely out of the rotation during the playoffs before reemerging in the Eastern Conference finals. Scola moved on after the season, bringing his veteran leadership to a young Brooklyn team on a one-year, $5.5 million deal.
Scola provided the Raptors unexpected 3-point punch. Always a good midrange shooter, Scola was able to move those attempts a little farther out with excellent results. He made more 3s (65) than he'd attempted in his first eight NBA seasons (60), shooting 40.4 percent. Still, Scola scored with below-average efficiency because he almost never got to the free throw line and shot a career-low 46.7 percent on 2-point attempts.
Defensively, Scola did as well as could reasonably be expected in a system that asked him to frequently show on pick-and-rolls, using his size to block passing lanes. Scola is also a willing charge-taker -- the 19 he drew ranked fourth in the league, per NBAminer.com. Still, he struggled to keep up with quicker power forwards on the perimeter and is a dreadful rim protector despite center size. So a likely reserve role for the Nets is more appropriate at this stage of his career.
Randy Foye
Position: Guard
Experience: 10 years
Age: 32
Scouting report
+ Combo guard who is most effective off the ball
+ Has seen 3-point percentage slip in recent seasons
+ Uses low center of gravity to defend bigger opponents
Analysis
A deadline trade sent Foye from the Denver Nuggets to the Oklahoma City Thunder, setting up just the second playoff appearance of his 10-year NBA career. Foye served as backup point guard throughout the Thunder's playoff run, but moved on after the season for a one-year, $2.5 million deal in Brooklyn.
Foye was the point guard in name only in Oklahoma City; his assist rate actually dropped after the trade. He mostly hung out behind the 3-point line while Kevin Durant ran the show. Alas, Foye never found his rhythm from 3-point range, shooting a career-low 30 percent. Since Foye's value is almost totally tied to his 3-point shooting (he last shot more 2s than 3s in 2010-11), the slump caused his true shooting percentage to plummet from 51.0 percent -- itself the lowest of his career at that point -- in 2014-15 to a dismal 46.1 percent last season.
Oklahoma City's matchup with the Golden State Warriors did allow Foye to showcase one of the NBA's best random skills -- he's a phenomenal post defender. Since Foye mostly plays shooting guard at a listed but generous 6-foot-4, he has been defending bigger opponents dating back to when he played in a four-guard lineup at Villanova. So he uses his strength and gets low to keep players like Shaun Livingston from gaining leverage. In the playoffs, opponents missed all eight of their post-up shots against Foye, per Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats. Generally, Foye is better defending point guards, and he'll probably play that role alongside Vasquez in Brooklyn.
Justin Hamilton
Position: Center
Experience: 2 years
Age: 26
Scouting report
+ Returning to NBA after fine season in Spain
+ Stretch big man with 3-point range
+ Average shot blocker but poor defensive rebounder
Analysis
Quietly, Hamilton had an impressive 17-game stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the end of the 2014-15 season, averaging 8.1 points on 53.5 percent 2-point shooting. The NBA still showed little interest last summer, and Hamilton went off to Spain, where he was one of the ACB's top players with Valencia. While that performance didn't make Hamilton as hot a ticket as the Broadway show that shares his name, it convinced the Nets to extend him a two-year deal worth $6 million to serve as Lopez's backup.
As well as Hamilton played in Minnesota, he could be even better by adding consistent 3-point range. He shot 40.6 percent from the shorter FIBA 3-point line, making 41 triples in 49 games. While Hamilton can be vulnerable to shot-blockers closer to the hoop, he uses a step-through move to create space and is also a good passer from the high post.
During his brief stint with the Timberwolves, Hamilton blocked 2.1 shots per 36 minutes after previously recording just five total blocks in 361 minutes in Charlotte and Miami. If he can maintain that level, Hamilton should be able to hold up at center despite giving up strength to most opposing 7-footers. Hamilton also looks to take charges. The biggest concern with Hamilton is that he has rebounded like a small forward on the defensive glass over the course of his NBA career.
Sean Kilpatrick
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
Age: 26
Scouting report
+ High-scoring guard who impressed after D-League call-up
+ Aggressive trying to get to the basket
+ Big enough to defend either guard spot
Analysis
Called up from the D-League in late February, Kilpatrick was a bright spot in Brooklyn's season and eventually earned a three-year deal that guaranteed his 2016-17 salary. Playing both guard spots, Kilpatrick averaged a robust 21.4 points per 36 minutes -- second only to Lopez (22.0) on the roster.
Kilpatrick's first instinct is always to attack the basket, and he's got a knack for finding cracks in the defense. Once he gets to the paint, Kilpatrick is an excellent finisher who shot 69.1 percent inside 3 feet, per Basketball-Reference.com. He's also effective from longer range, making 36.1 percent of his 3-point attempts with the Nets after shooting 42.6 percent from downtown in the D-League. That's a big improvement since Kilpatrick shot just 34.7 percent from the college 3-point line. Brooklyn tried Kilpatrick a little at point guard, which didn't really take. He doesn't look to find teammates and averaged just 1.7 assists per 36 minutes. The arrival of Lin and Vasquez should end that experiment.
It's OK for Kilpatrick to settle in at shooting guard because he's big and strong enough to defend most 2s. Still, Kilpatrick could stand to tighten up his off-ball defense. He was vulnerable at times to backdoor cuts and his forays into the passing lanes rarely paid off -- Kilpatrick averaged just 0.7 steals per 36 minutes.
Chris McCullough
Position: Forward
Experience: 1 year
Age: 21
Scouting report
+ Rangy forward with good skills for his size
+ Comfortably shoots NBA 3-pointer
+ Overactive defender who must improve rebounding
Analysis
The Nets drafted McCullough knowing his rookie season would largely be spent rehabilitating from a torn ACL that ended his lone year at Syracuse. McCullough didn't make it back on the court until just before the All-Star break and looked predictably rusty, having played just 16 college games and having missed training camp. This season should offer a better gauge of the 21-year-old's potential.
The best part of McCullough's rookie season was 38.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. He's unlikely to keep hitting 3s at quite that rate, but he does look comfortable with the NBA distance, impressive for an inexperienced 6-foot-11 forward. Brooklyn would probably prefer that McCullough spend a bit more time inside after taking more than half his shot attempts from beyond 16 feet last season. He wasn't a good finisher when he was near the rim, shooting just 54.5 percent inside three feet according to Basketball-Reference.com, but McCullough's explosiveness may return as he moves past the injury.
McCullough was certainly a presence defensively, averaging 2.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes. He was a bit too aggressive defensively, running all over the court rather than executing the scheme, and will need to strike the right balance going forward. That lack of discipline was probably part of the reason McCullough struggled on the defensive glass, where he rebounded more like a small forward than a power forward.
Caris LeVert
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
Age: 22
Scouting report
+ Talented guard whose NCAA career was hampered by foot injuries
+ Good playmaker for a shooting guard; decent shooter
+ Plus size and length for guard
Analysis
After initially undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot after the 2013-14 season, LeVert saw surgeries on the same foot end both his junior and senior years prematurely. The latter injury, a Jones fracture to LeVert's fifth metatarsal, also kept him from working out before the draft and playing at the NBA summer league in Las Vegas. Nonetheless, Brooklyn took LeVert with the No. 20 overall pick, gambling on his talent over his troublesome foot.
There's a lot to like about LeVert's skills. He's a big shooting guard listed at 6-foot-7 who makes plays like a point guard. LeVert was averaging a team-high 4.9 assists per game as a senior before his season ended early. Aside from shooting 54.6 percent as a senior against nonconference opposition, LeVert struggled inside the arc, suggesting he won't finish well enough to play the point regularly in the NBA. That's OK because he shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range each of his last three years, including 44.6 percent on 65 attempts as a senior.
Despite his size, LeVert probably isn't strong enough to defend forwards. He might end up being better defending point guards using his long arms. LeVert is a good defensive rebounder for a guard.
Isaiah Whitehead
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
Age: 21
Scouting report
+ Score-first guard who has grown into playmaker
+ Powerfully built but tends to struggle as finisher
+ Phenomenal shot-blocker from the backcourt
Analysis
Whitehead, a Brooklyn native, will become the first truly homegrown player to play for the Nets. A product of Lincoln High School, the same school that produced Stephon Marbury, Lance Stephenson and Sebastian Telfair, Whitehead is a scoring guard in the same mold as those local legends. He averaged 18.2 points per game as a sophomore at Seton Hall before entering the draft. Brooklyn traded up to the No. 42 pick to keep Whitehead at home and signed him to a four-year contract with the first two guaranteed.
Perhaps more impressive than his scoring were Whitehead's 5.1 assists per game last season. While scouts had been projecting him to the NBA as a shooting guard, Whitehead showed enough playmaking chops to suggest he can be a point guard in the league. He'll want to drive to dish rather than score, having struggled to finish over bigger defenders. According to Hoop-Math.com, Whitehead made just 46.7 percent of his attempts at the rim, explaining sub-40 percent accuracy on all 2-point attempts -- extremely poor for an NBA-bound guard.
As a point guard, Whitehead's size (6-foot-3 1/4 in bare feet) becomes a huge plus. He's also powerfully built, which gives him the ability to match up with shooting guards as necessary. Whitehead blocked a team-high 1.8 shots per 40 minutes in 2015-16 and has the ability to go up and bother the shots of bigger opponents.
Anthony Bennett
Position: Forward
Experience: 3 years
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ Former No. 1 pick getting what might be last chance
+ Must be able to consistently knock down 3-pointer
+ Effort at both ends of the floor has been inadequate
Analysis
Waived twice in the span of six months, Bennett found himself out of the league less than three years after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Surprisingly, the Nets signed him to a two-year deal for the veterans minimum that fully guarantees his 2016-17 salary. If Bennett can't make it now, it's hard to imagine him ever sticking in the NBA.
Over three seasons with three teams, Bennett has yet to produce at an above-replacement level. He has tended to spend most of his time on the perimeter -- more than half his shots last season in limited action were 3-point attempts -- but hasn't shot well enough from 3 (25.6 percent career) to justify this strategy. Bennett has been better near the basket but doesn't create enough of these opportunities to serve as the basis for his offense.
The story gets even worse defensively, where Bennett remains prone to lapses in focus and effort. He won't succeed in the NBA until he gets serious about his commitment both on and off the court. Whispers after Bennett was waived by his hometown Toronto Raptors suggested his desire and professionalism were question marks. That can't be the case in Brooklyn.
Joe Harris
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
Age: 24
Scouting report
+ Catch-and-shoot specialist
+ Makes good decisions on offense
+ Challenged to defend one-on-one
The couple of weeks when Harris emerged as the reliable alternative to Dion Waiters early in his rookie season will be an interesting footnote in the story of how the Cleveland Cavaliers became a championship team. By Year 2, Harris was an afterthought before season-ending foot surgery caused the Cavaliers to trade him to the Orlando Magic, who immediately waived him. Healthy again, Harris landed a two-year contract for the veterans minimum from the Nets with his 2016-17 salary guaranteed.
If Harris sticks, it will be as a shooting specialist. He made 36.9 percent of his 3s as a rookie and was a 40.7 percent career shooter at Virginia. Harris is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can make the right pass when necessary. However, teams targeted him defensively, and he's unlikely to be anything better than adequate as an individual defender.
Yogi Ferrell
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ Undersized but skilled point guard
+ Capable college 3-point shooter
+ Low steal rate a red flag
It's only appropriate that Ferrell would start his professional career in the same city as legendary Yankee and namesake Yogi Berra once starred. This Yogi is an undersized point guard who starred at Indiana, averaging 17.3 points and 5.6 assists as a senior. He can run an offense and play off the ball, but Ferrell must prove he can hold up defensively given his small stature and poor steal rate (1.0 per 40 minutes in his career). Most likely, that path will run through the D-League given the Nets have 15 guaranteed contracts. To paraphrase the more famous Yogi, he's an overwhelming underdog to make the team.
Egidijus Mockevicius
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ NCAA's leading rebounder as a senior
+ May struggle to defend more athletic players
A Lithuanian native, Mockevicius played college ball at Evansville, where he averaged an NCAA-high 13.9 rebounds per game last season as a senior. More than just a rebounder, Mockevicius also scored 15.7 points per game on 63.7 percent shooting and 2.8 blocks. However, there's a long track record of lumbering mid-major centers dominating smaller opponents and failing to translate that production in the NBA. Mockevicius must prove he can defend quicker foes and the pick-and-roll game. He'll have that chance in training camp.
Beau Beech
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
Age: 22
Scouting report
+ Big guard who is effective 3-point shooter
+ Will have a tough time creating own shot
Beech played at North Florida University, where fittingly he was about five miles from the Atlantic Coast. At a listed 6-foot-8, Beech nominally played guard for the Ospreys. He brought the requisite 3-point range (42.4 percent), though the rest of his stat line is more typical of a small forward than a guard. Beech wasn't really on the NBA's radar as a prospect, but a decent effort at the NBA summer league in landlocked Las Vegas earned him a spot in training camp and most likely in the D-League with the Nets' affiliate in Long Island.