2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Brooklyn Nets

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Brooklyn Nets. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

Brooklyn Nets

Team Page | Roster | Schedule

2013-14

The Brooklyn Nets' season had just about everything, right down to a drink being intentionally spilled on the court as a de facto timeout. 

The year began with turmoil on the coaching staff, with rookie bench boss Jason Kidd forcing out Lawrence Frank, then saw center Brook Lopez put on the shelf for the year with a broken foot, all while the team got off to a 10-21 start.

And then the calendar flipped, the Nets found their stride with a unique and interesting "long-ball" starting lineup, and they closed out the year 34-17 before edging the Toronto Raptors in one of the tightest playoff series in league history (they won Game 7 by blocking a buzzer-beater and only outscored Toronto by 11 over the seven games). 

The Nets would lose to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs, but the way they closed out the year left room for optimism moving forward despite an aging core.

Offseason Roundup

So, yeah, about that optimism.

Since the season ended, Kidd forced his way to Milwaukee and was replaced by Lionel Hollins, while key cogs in Shaun Livingston and Paul Pierce found work elsewhere.

The Nets made a few depth additions in response, bringing over European prospect Bojan Bogdanovic, making a handful of second round draft selections to compete for roster spots and adding Jarrett Jack as insurance for the oft-hobbled Deron Williams.

Really, though, the Nets are hoping that recovery time for Williams and Lopez can make up the difference for the loss of Pierce and Livingston, a bit of an iffy proposition given both of their histories.

Additions

*SG/SF Alan Anderson (2/$2.6M)
SG/SF Bojan Bogdanovic (3/$10M)
PG Jarrett Jack (trade)
SF Sergey Karasev (trade)

*Re-signed

Departures

PG/SG Shaun Livingston (free agency)
SF Paul Pierce (free agency)
SG Marcus Thornton (trade)

Additions by Subtraction

The Nets will not be bringing back The Brooklyn Knight, the worst mascot in professional sports.

2014 Draft

SG Markel Brown (2nd round, 44th overall)
PG/SG Xavier Thames (2nd round, 59th overall)
PF Cory Jefferson (2nd round, 60th overall)

The Nets entered June's draft without a pick to their name but were aggressive in the late stages, acquiring three second round picks for cash only, something owner Mikhail Prokhorov has plenty of.

In Brown, Thames, and Jefferson, the Nets have three fliers that could pan out as end-of-roster players with upside. Brown, in particular, seems to have the team's eye, securing a guaranteed minimum contract, while Jefferson received a small guarantee, and Thames is headed overseas to hone his craft.

Brown quietly had a productive senior season for Oklahoma State last year, averaging 17.2 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. He has terrific athleticism and great length for the two, and is perhaps just a consistent 3-point shot away from being a high-energy reserve option.

Starting 5

• PG Deron Williams
• SG Joe Johnson
• SF Andrei Kirilenko
• PF Kevin Garnett
• C Brook Lopez

Breakout Player: Andrei Kirilenko

With an older team like the Nets, breakouts aren't really anticipated. Even for a promising young player like Mason Plumlee, who spent his summer with USA Basketball, minutes put a cap on how much development can realistically be expected.

And with that in mind, we highlight AK-47 for the fantasy players out there.

Anyone who's been playing fantasy basketball for a minute surely longs for the days of Kirilenko 5-by-5 threats, but last season was a major disappointment. The versatile Russian managed just 45 games thanks to nagging back problems, saw his role jerked around some, and wasn't quite the stat-stuffer we've come to love.

This season, with presumed health, a fresh start with coach Hollins, and a hole left by Pierce, the 33-year-old Kirilenko could prove a profitable fantasy flier.

Season Expectations

The Nets will tell you their goals are even loftier than last season's second-round exit. Despite evidence suggesting it's unrealistic, the age and experience of the Nets, the amount ownership is paying to field this roster, and the no-nonsense approach of the new bench boss all suggest this is a team that's all-in for a push to the conference finals or beyond.

That's probably not going to happen, and the Nets may be hard-pressed to replicate last season's success. The health of Williams' ankles is always tenuous and he may now own one of the worst contract's in basketball, while Lopez's return means a shift back to a traditional starting unit that the team couldn't figure out through 17 games.

Meanwhile, the Raptors and Washington Wizards are younger and still on the upswing, the Charlotte Bobcats added pieces, the Cleveland Cavaliers might be better, the Chicago Bulls are healthy, and so on. With peak Williams and Lopez, sure, this is a quality team. When Seven-Time All-Star Joe Johnson could be your third best player - and jest aside, he remains a very talented offensive player at age 33 - you're in an okay spot.

But anything less from that hobbled pairing and any erosion from Johnson and Garnett could have the Nets fighting for a playoff spot, let alone making a run.

1 to Follow on Social Media

With one of the league's oldest teams, you can't really expect a great deal of engaging social media presence. One of the team's youngsters made their mark in that regard last season, with Mason Plumlee being named the best rookie on social media by the NBA in June.

So follow him on Twitter and Instagram. He's active, at least.