Head Coach: Jacque Vaughn (Interim – 1st Season)
Record: 30-34 (7th in Eastern Conference)
All-Stars: None
Scoring Leaders: Kyrie Irving (27.4 PPG), Spencer Dinwiddie (20.6 PPG), Caris LeVert (17.7 PPG)
Rebounding Leaders: DeAndre Jordan (10.0 RPG), Jarrett Allen (9.5 RPG), Taurean Prince (6.0 RPG)
Assists Leaders: Dinwiddie (6.8 APG), Irving (6.4 APG), LeVert (4.1 APG)
Offense: 110.8 Points Scored/Game (T-18th)
Defense: 111.4 Points Allowed/Game (18th)
Key Wins: Raptors (101-91, Feb. 12), Celtics x2 (112-107, Nov. 29; 129-120, OT, Mar. 3), Heat (117-113, Jan. 10), 76ers (109-89, Dec. 15), Pacers (106-105, Feb. 10), Lakers (104-102, Mar. 10), Nuggets (105-102, Dec. 8), Rockets (123-116, Nov. 1)
Season Summary: The Nets currently sit in 7th place in the East despite having lost Kyrie Irving to a season-ending shoulder injury after he played in just 20 games this season and without any games from free agent signing Kevin Durant. Brooklyn has done it with a toughness that has come to define the franchise over the last couple of seasons. This is a deep, versatile group, and is capable of beating teams in a number of ways, but will need to rely on its depth in Orlando after numerous player opted out. Key starters in Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan will not be around, while reserves Wilson Chandler and Taurean Prince join the injured trio Durant, Irving, and rookie Nicolas Claxton as players who will watch from home. The absences free up a ton of playing time for players further down the depth chart.
22-year-old center Jarrett Allen has made his name as one of the league’s premiere shot blockers, as he’s averaging a team-best 1.3 rejections per game. Allen is also putting up a near double-double on a nightly basis, averaging 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. As a whole, Brooklyn pulls down the second-most rebounds in the league. Joe Harris remains one of the league’s best 3-point shooters, as he’s averaging 13.9 points on 41.2% shooting from deep. Caris LeVert will be relied upon to provide a big scoring punch in a new featured role. The Nets have also brought in free-agent signings Tyler Johnson and Jamal Crawford for added depth as they try to contend for the eighth seed.
Memorable Moment: The Nets have had the Celtics’ number this season, having beaten their Atlantic Division rivals in two out of three meetings. The most memorable of those was an overtime showdown in March, when Caris LeVert went off for 51 points en route to a 129-120 win. LeVert poured in 37 of his 51 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Nets erased a 21-point deficit to stun the Celtics in Boston. Brooklyn put up a franchise-record 51 points in the fourth quarter alone, and LeVert had all 11 of their points in overtime. Watching from the sideline, Kevin Durant called it a “masterpiece.”
Player to Watch: Caris LeVert – With the absences of Irving and Dinwiddie, it will be LeVert who will siphon up the lion’s share of the 36.8 shots per game available in their absence. The 25-year-old signed an extension with the Nets last year, clearly showing they view him as a key piece in their future, and should afford him all the usage he can handle. He has looked dominant in stretches this season, including the career-high 51-point performance against the Celtics in March. If LeVert can provide performances like that occasionally in Orlando, the Nets could find themselves winning a few games in their first-round matchup.
