Jan 10, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Jeremy Lin watch the final second from the bench during second half against Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 177-97.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
As the Brooklyn Nets look to reload this offseason, we take a deep look at the second unit to find out what value each player has in the eyes of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson.
The Brooklyn Nets, at 14-56 (worst in the NBA), have begun evaluating their bench talent for next season.
In Part I of this series, I broke down the play of Nets forward Quincy Acy, stretch 5 Justin Hamilton and newly acquired wing K.J. McDaniels, evaluating their recent performance with the squad, and how I can see both head coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean Marks using these players heading into the offseason.
For the Nets, it's all about finishing up the season with some clarity, understanding who is going to be here next season and beyond, as well as the type of raw talent Atkinson can work with as the team moves closer to NBA relevancy.
As the Nets look to close the chapter on the 2016-17 season, one insight we have after both Marks and Atkinson sat down with WFAN's Evan Roberts, is that the look for players with versatility, that can guard multiple positions.
It's a strategic and systematic approach for the team, something the previous regime seemed not to be. However, Marks continues to look near and far when it comes to acquiring and evaluating talent.
I'm off to Europe to scout. We've obviously be scouting the D-League. We've got two draft picks, two first round picks so we'll be creative in how that goes. So we'll see. We'll certainly play in the free agent game, both restricted and unrestricted. Obviously if you're in the restricted game, you sort of roll the dice and see what happens. And it could be a way we go.
In this second part, I breakdown the play of former Cincinnati Bearcats star Sean Kilpatrick, Virginia's own Joe Harris, and trade deadline pick-up Andrew Nicholson.
From everything like their cap hit next season to their most recently play in Atkinson's fast-paced, motion style offense, I take a look and how these three players fair as the Nets head into a crucial offseason.
Mar 6, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick (6) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) during the first half at FedExForum. Brooklyn defeated Memphis 122-109. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Sean Kilpatrick: $1,051,245 non-guaranteed for 2017-18
Out of any of the players mentioned in this series, Brooklyn Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick is by far the safest lock. As the first move Marks made when he took over as Nets general manager during the 2015-16 season, Sean Kilpatrick has not disappointed.
The crafty and patient guard averages 13.3 points per game while shooting 41.1 percent from the field.
Kilpatrick's non-guaranteed deal for next season is sure to be a lock, as it's only projected to be 1.02 percent of the salary cap for the 2017-18 season. Kilpatrick's 2017-18 contract is fully guaranteed if not waived before June 30.
With someone that provides tremendous bench depth, Kilpatrick can easily spell Nets guard Jeremy Lin and rookie standout Caris LeVert for minutes. As the Nets continue to improve personnel-wise, Kilpatrick's role will diminish.
However, his natural knack to score and provide a spark off the bench could be valuable for the Nets moving forward.
Feb 24, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Joe Harris (12) in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Harris: $1,051,245 non-guaranteed for 2017-18
In a similar situation to Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick, Joe Harris signed a two-year, $2,031,676 deal with the Nets with $980,431 guaranteed.
The sharp-shooter from the University of Virginia has appeared in 52 games for the Nets, averaging 8.2 points per game and shooting the three at a clip of 38.5 percent.
Still only 25, Harris provides a nice catch-and-shoot potential off the bench. When discussing under-the-radar role players in today's NBA, ESPN's own Zach Lowe had this to say when describing Joe Harris' role:
Harris couldn't believe what Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn's coach, told him after the Nets rescued him from the D-League in July: "We want you to be our Kyle Korver."
"I was taken aback," Harris said. "I mean, Kyle Korver is the O.G. — the ultimate shooter."
"He was like that battered doe you find in the forest," Atkinson recalled. "He had no confidence."
Harris is shooting 38 percent from deep, and he has impressed the Nets with his defense. He battles hard. Atkinson has often asked Harris to guard up a position against bigger wings. Harris enjoys the physicality, and he's eager to jostle with scorers who assume he's a sieve. "People look at me and lick their chops," he said. "It's a stereotypical thing about white wings not being great defenders. I'm trying to earn respect."
So, what does this mean for Atkinson and Marks as they head into the offseason? Harris' play has certainly improved after being "rescued" from the D-League.
With Atkinson's tenure in Atlanta as an assistant to Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, there's definitely potential to develop Harris into a knock-down three-point shooter.
With another minimal cap hit (roughly 1.02 percent of next year's projected cap), Harris should be another lock for next season.
Feb 24, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) and Brooklyn Nets forward Andrew Nicholson (44) and center Brook Lopez (11) look on from the bench in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 129-109. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Nicholson: 3 years, $19,911,007 left on his deal
The Washington Wizards signed forward Andrew Nicholson to a four-year, $26 million deal back in July 2016. As a solid player for the Orlando Magic previously, the Wizards thought they were getting a solid backup 4 with potential upside.
However, the Wizards soon were left with Nicholson riding the bench, proving to be nearly $6.5 million in dead cap space.
As the Wizards look to make a deep playoff run, general manager Ernie Grunfeld made a call to Marks asking about the availability of swingman Bojan Bogdanovic.
As the Nets seek to stockpile as many assets headed into the offseason as possible, the Nets ended up acquiring a first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but at the expense of taking on Nicholson's deal.
While the Wizards now hold Bogdanovic's Bird rights, making him a restricted free agent, the security of having the ability to match any offer wasn't enough for Washington, as they needed to unload Nicholson's deal to make way for signing Otto Porter Jr. and potentially Bogdanovic this offseason.
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For Nicholson, who has only appeared in five games for the Nets so far, is averaging fourpoints per game in right about 10 minutes of play. He's a big body that is trying to develop an outside game, but doesn't run the court effectively and proves to look slow in Atkinson's offense.
However, the Nets are certainly tied to Nicholson's contract for another three years after the conclusion of this season.
What are the Nets' options? Well, they could use the stretch-provision, as they did with Deron Williams, which if waived would be stretch at $2,844,429 for the course of seven years. Another option would be just to ride out the remaining three years left on his contract.
But, with the Nets already committed to another $5,474,787 to Deron Williams in dead cap for the next three years, I'm not sure the Nets can afford (if not being used) to carry another $6.5 million or so annually to Nicholson.
Much like the Wizards did, the Nets could try to trade Nicholson at the draft. But, with the recent trend of acquiring assets for bad contracts, I'm not sure the Nets can do the same.
I'll be back early next week to provide the third and final part of this series. I'll be honing in on the remaining bench players for the Brooklyn Nets, including Archie Goodwin, Trevor Booker, and Spencer Dinwiddie.
