National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: How Do They Compare to Other Rebuilding Teams?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:02 p.m. ET

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Sep 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) poses for a portrait during media day at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets are one of multiple rebuilding teams in the NBA this season. With that in mind, how do the Nets stack up against other teams who are also building for the future?

The Brooklyn Nets, with a new regime in place, are building for the future. The Nets have added some young players who they are fond of not only for this year, but for the coming years as well.

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Brooklyn is a bit of an interesting case for a rebuilding team. While the Nets may be ready to seriously compete in a few years, their current team features veterans who could keep them competitive throughout the season.

But how do the Nets compare to other teams who are currently rebuilding? For the purposes of this comparison, we will compare the Nets to two teams: the Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Each of these teams are in scenarios where they are facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs in 2016-17. As far as making the playoffs, the 76ers and Nets are obviously in the easier conference. Nevertheless, though, these are three teams who would be happy to make valuable progress this season as they move forward in their rebuilding plans.

In the following slides, we’ll discuss the state of each team, and breakdown how the Nets stack up to not just their roster, but their scenario, as well. These are three teams who could be quite good in the future, but as of today, how do they compare to each other?

Sep 26, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a unique position. They have been a bad team for much of the recent past, but as a result, they have built their roster through the draft.

The Sixers have seemingly used the drafting philosophy of taking the best player available, regardless of position. As a result, Philadelphia has a glut of big men on their roster, and lacks building blocks at other positions.

The Sixers’ roster includes Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Dario Šarić, and of course No. 1 pick, Ben Simmons. Each of these players are forwards or centers.

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Ideally, a team would like to have a level of young talent like the 76ers have, but it would be spread out over the frontcourt and backcourt. Still, though, the Sixers are in an interesting position. If some of the players who have never played in the NBA yet (Simmons, Embiid, Šarić) pan out as expected, the Sixers could trade some of their depth either for draft assets or additional young players.

The Sixers absolutely have more young assets than the Nets have, as Simmons, Okafor, Embiid and Noel were stars in college. The Nets, of course, are still suffering from the effects of the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade. If Brooklyn had the draft picks they had to send to Boston (and will continue to send), they would be in a similar boat as Philadelphia. Brooklyn would be able to add high draft picks and develop them. Instead, though, the Nets have to work their way through the rebuild without high picks.

Interestingly enough, the Nets, purely from a roster perspective, seem like a great fit if the 76ers want to trade one of their young players such as Noel or Okafor. Noel is a restricted free agent after the season, so that could play into the rationale if Philadelphia looks to move one of their pieces.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brandon Ingram (Duke) does an interview after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers, unlike the Nets and 76ers, have done a good job of not only drafting talent, but finding a balance throughout the roster.

The Lakers have built a roster that, in time, should fare well in the West. They are still a very young team and the West goes through Golden State, but the Lakers could feasibly find themselves in the playoff mix in a few years.

Los Angeles has many young players who are building blocks for the future, and added another in the 2016 Draft. D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and others were already in place going into the 2016 Draft. The Lakers then added a player with an extremely high ceiling with the No. 2 pick, Brandon Ingram of Duke.

Los Angeles also managed to add a few veterans, as the Nets did. They added Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov in free agency, each of which adds experience to a young Lakers team.

Los Angeles will be led by first-year head coach Luke Walton. Like the Nets, the Lakers are hoping better days are ahead after making a coaching change.

The Lakers arguably have a better outlook than the Nets because of all of the young talent they already have. The Nets are faced with the challenge of adding talent without the benefit of many draft picks. Brooklyn, and Philadelphia for that matter, are aided by the fact that they are in the East. Both teams are likely a few years away from contending for the playofffs, and the same can be said for the Lakers despite their young core already being in place.

Sep 26, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) poses for a portrait during media day at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

Brooklyn’s Advantages Over Los Angeles and Philadelphia

The Brooklyn Nets lack what Philadelphia and Los Angeles have had in recent years: draft picks. As a result, they are at a disadvantage when it comes to building a young core.

However, the Nets are not hopeless.

Brooklyn has a legitimate, quality NBA Center, in Brook Lopez. They’ve also brought in Jeremy Lin, a veteran guard who knows a thing or two about success in New York. Lin will be the starting point guard in Brooklyn. The Nets should feel more than comfortable about these two positions.

Brooklyn also has intrigue elsewhere. Bojan Bogdanovic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Sean Kilpatrick are just a few of the players Nets fans are excited about.

Lopez is Brooklyn’s longest tenured player, and Lin is a proven NBA name who chose to join the Nets. Brooklyn also tried to sign Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson, which indicated that they had a plan to build through free agency. Sean Marks showed he isn’t afraid to be aggressive in free agency, and that could be something to remember in the coming years.

Brooklyn does lack draft picks, and for a non-playoff team over the past few years, that can be detrimental. But the Brooklyn Nets have a few veterans who will play big roles this season as the Nets navigate their first season under Kenny Atkinson.

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