National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets: Three Ways Jorge Gutierrez Can Make the Team

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 6, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez (0) plays the ball while being defended by Detroit Pistons guard Ish Smith (14) during the second half at Barclays Center. The Nets won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

27 year-old guard Jorge Gutierrez is in his second stint with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have an abundance of guards, but here are three ways Gutierrez could make the team.

The Brooklyn Nets currently have 20 players on their roster. Five more spots than the 15 each team is allowed to carry. Most teams only keep between 12 and 13 on their roster to begin the season. All of this is a long-winded way of saying the Nets are going to cut a fair share of players in the coming weeks.

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Right now, the team currently is the deepest at the guard position. Beau Beech, Bojan Bogdanovic, Yogi Ferrell, Randy Foye, Jorge Gutierrez, Joe Harris, Sean Kilpatrick, Caris LeVert, Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez, and Isaiah Whitehead will all spend time at the guard spots this preseason. I’m no fortune teller, but I can confidently say that Brooklyn will not carry 11 guards on their opening night roster.

With the Nets picking up prospects such as LeVert and Whitehead in the 2016 NBA Draft and signing Ferrell as an undrafted free agents, a veteran like Gutierrez could be one of the players let go.

Gutierrez has been in the NBA since 2014 and this is actually his second stint with the Nets. He was a favorite of Jason Kidd during his inaugural season with Brooklyn and even followed Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks the following year.

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In between those two stops he was filtered back and forth to the NBA Developmental League where he earned honors like NBA D-League All-Rookie First Team, All-NBA D-League Second Team and Gutierrez was twice selected to the NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team.

However, that is all in the past and Gutierrez must once again prove that he is worthy of holding on of the sacred 12-13 roster spots with the Nets. His game will have to do the talking from now on and in this post we are going to take a look at exactly what he can do to help make a case for being a member of the Nets.

Dec 5, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) dribbles the ball up court against Brooklyn Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez (13) during the second half at Barclays Center. The Atlanta Hawks won 98-75. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Defend

With Brooklyn being in a transitional period as a franchise, there aren’t many defined roles on the team. Outside of knowing the offense will run through Lin and Brook Lopez, everything else is still to be determined.

The easiest way to get on and stay on the court for any basketball player is to play good defense. The league has seen an influx of star guards and every night the Nets will likely square off against one of these supremely talented guards. Lin isn’t known for his defensive abilities so there’s a niche available for a good defensive guard.

Gutierrez has shown the ability to defend at a high-level. It was his calling card in the D-League and one of the reasons he was a favorite of Kidd’s.

If he’s shows the ability to contain the Stephen Curry‘s, Chris Paul‘s Kyrie Irving‘s, etc. of the world, then he is someone that will deserve to be part of the Nets team this season.

Nov 15, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez (13) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Spread The Floor

New Brooklyn head coach, Kenny Atkinson, has shown in the team’s first three preseason games that he wants his team to push the tempo, shoot from three, and space the court on offense. Against the Miami Heat, the Nets shot 22 threes in the first half alone. For the 2015-16 season, the Nets averaged 18.4 three point attempts per game.

However, Gutierrez has not been a good (or even average) shooter from the perimeter in his NBA career. He has a career average of 17.6 percent and hasn’t shot any higher that 25 percent in any of his seasons.

Gutierrez needs to be a threat from deep if he wants in with Brooklyn. The team already has one minus shooter in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and can’t afford to have any others –especially with the amount of time Hollis-Jefferson should be on the floor. If he can’t show in the preseason and in training camp that he can make open shots, it’ll be a long shot that Gutierrez makes the team.

Dec 5, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jorge Gutierrez (13) is fouled by Atlanta Hawks guard Shelvin Mack (8) during the second half at Barclays Center. The Atlanta Hawks won 98-75. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran Leadership

An overlooked and under appreciated part of any rebuild is finding the right veterans to help build the right culture. The Philadelphia 76ers tried ignoring this completely during their flirtation with Sam Hinkie’s “Process”. The result was a young team that didn’t learn how to win.

Sean Marks must avoid falling into a similar cycle as the Sixers. So far he’s brought in Lin, Vasquez, Foye, and Luis Scola to improve the locker room atmosphere in Brooklyn. Gutierrez could find a role on the team through his words and actions as a leader.

Being able to show the ropes to the up-and-coming players will go a long way in determining his value to Brooklyn this year. Gutierrez has kept a pretty clean-cut image and persona in his time as a professional basketball player (whether in the NBA or overseas).

Doing the right thing is not a challenge for him and being able to impart that overarching theme of teamwork, selflessness, etc. will help Gutierrez serve a purpose greater than what his skills allow him to do on the court every night.

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