There are still 10 NBA franchises left to be crowned kings of basketball, with the Brooklyn Nets being one of them. Recent article by Zach Buckley of Bleacher ReportBrooklyn ranked last among teams without rings that could win the championship in 2024-25.
Given the current state of the Nets roster, this ranking seems fair. They are widely projected to be one of the worst teams in basketball next season, if not the worst, but all is not lost in Brooklyn. Yes, they had a poor run in 2023-24 before Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks. The Nets only won 32, but the Charlotte Hornets, ranked ahead of Brooklyn on Buckley’s list, only managed 21 wins.
Does the absence of Bridges, the Nets’ only real game-changing departure, explain such a significant drop in wins? He was their best all-around player but has suffered a significant drop in production compared to the second half of the 2022-23 season.
If the Nets finish in the bottom half of the league, it would do wonders for their future, but will this team really be as bad as everyone expects? Assuming Cam Thomas takes on a bigger offensive role, Jalen Wilson builds on his summer emergence, and Nic Claxton continues to make his underrated case for Defensive Player of the Year, Brooklyn could still reach the 30-win mark.
It’s unlikely, but the Nets have done much more with less talent in past seasons, so surpassing their goals isn’t out of reach.
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