Evaluating The Brooklyn Nets Second Unit For Next Season: Part III
Dec 30, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson holds the ball on the bench against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 118-95. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
With less than 10 games left in the Brooklyn Nets regular season, the evaluation of a second unit filled with non-guarantees, team options and more continues. What does the future hold for the final three bench guys on the roster?
As we wind down the regular season, the Brooklyn Nets have made nice strides in starting to play cohesive, team basketball.
Despite a NBA league worst 16-57, the young group led by head coach Kenny Atkinson has shown signs of tremendous improvement with seven wins in the month of March alone.
Better ball movement, the presence of a healthy Jeremy Lin and the makings of a cohesive team are all examples of how the Nets began to rack up some Ws.
Despite the winning, the Nets clearly have some talent voids on the roster. Without a true wing scorer and an interior force on the defensive end, the Nets will likely be in the 20-30 win range next season. However, there are some bright spots on the team that are worth evaluating.
General manager Sean Marks continues to preach discovering talent from all over the globe. In his most recent sighting, Marks was seen with Brooklyn chairman of the board Dmitry Razumov scouting veteran point guard Milos Teodosic in a game in Moscow.
Marks is no stranger to finding talent from peculiar places. His first (and very confident) signing as the Nets GM was the scorer in the D-League at the time, Sean Kilpatrick. I detailed what I see Marks doing with Kilpatrick's non-guaranteed deal for 2017-18 in Part II of this series.
So as the team looks at the end of their bench, Marks and Atkinson have to be impressed with the grit, hustle and energy these guys are showing. After all, some of these players are indeed making their case to be on this roster next season.
With the final installment of this series, I'll be taking a look at power forward Trevor Booker, Archie Goodwin (recently signed to a second 10-day contract) and backup point guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Nov 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Trevor Booker (35) looks to pass the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Thaddeus Young (21) defends in the first half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Booker: $9.125 million guaranteed for 2017-18
The Nets signed Trevor Booker to a two-year, $18.375 million contract last offseason after a decent last year in Utah. Booker has been the true definition of Brooklyn Grit this season, proving not to back down on defense and improving his offensive game in the post.
However, Booker's presence goes way beyond his on-court performances. Booker is known to be one of the better locker room and character guys this team has. Marks and Atkinson were looking for a glue guy and Booker fits the mold.
With today's CBA, Booker's expiring $9.125 million deal is very reasonable for teams to absorb. Despite a great off-court presence, I think Booker's contract is going to be desirable come draft day.
As the Nets look to bring in young upcoming talent to pair with Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin, Booker could be on the move if a team feels his presence as a backup power forward could fill a void.
The Washington Wizards thought the exact same thing when signing Andrew Nicholson (now a Net) this past offseason, thinking his roughly $6 million annual contract would be a reasonable one as a solid backup power forward.
For Booker, however, the years aren't there like in Nicholson's.
And, despite only being 29, his toughness and half-decent face-up game could be something a team that went home in either the first or second round of the playoffs could be after when looking to spell their starter 15 minutes a night.
Look for Booker, with a very reasonable contract, to be dangled by Marks come draft day.
Mar 21, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Detroit Pistons small forward Reggie Bullock (25) shoots the ball past Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Archie Goodwin (10) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Archie Goodwin: On His Second 10-Day Contract
The Brooklyn Nets signed guard Archie Goodwin to a second 10-day contract following his solid play during the first 10-day deal signed March 15. The crafty guard from the University of Kentucky has shown flashes of being a speedy and athletic spark-plug off the Nets bench.
Goodwin is averaging 7.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 12.0 minutes per game while shooting .667 (14-of-21) from the field. He's also scored in double figures three times during the his five-game stint with the Nets.
What's most intriguing about Goodwin is his ability to get to the basket, showing he has a quick first-step and can explode off the dribble. Goodwin has been learning to play in Atkinson's up-tempo offense, spelling guard Jeremy Lin and Spencer Dinwiddie in his limited action.
And, while we've seen Goodwin be assertive in his short time with the Nets, his second 10-day contract will come to an end on April 4. It's pretty obvious that the Nets will sign him for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, giving him more playing time as the year winds down.
However, what has Nets fans wondering most is what Marks and Atkinson will do with the 23-year-old Kentucky product this offseason.
While Goodwin has been aggressive, playing under control and getting to the free throw line 12 times in his games with the Nets, Brooklyn's front office may shy away from Goodwin.
While they're committed to developing Seton Hall product Isaiah Whitehead and impressed with the length of Dinwiddie, Goodwin may be the odd man out this offseason.
February 25, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie (8) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nets 112-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Spencer Dinwiddie: $1,524,305 non-guaranteed for 2017-18
Spencer Dinwiddie has been on the radar of many Nets fans, as his length and athleticism was the primary reason Atkinson was committed to him over undrafted free agent Yogi Ferrell.
Many fans are the time were upset over Yogi's small sample size of great play with the Dallas Mavericks, having nine three-pointers in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers back in February.
But, as time passed, Yogi regressed and Dinwiddie's production with the Nets second unit caught the eye of Nets fans.
I recently detailed why Dinwiddie was the right choice for the Nets over Ferrell in a piece earlier this month, noting he's continuing to improve his overall game, improving his outside shot in Atkinson's motion offense.
"He's steadily getting better," Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said when speaking about his 6′ 6″ guard. "He played pretty well before the All-Star break, started shooting it better and getting to the rim. We like his defense. He's been a pleasant surprise, quite honestly. We're looking forward to seeing more of the same."
So, what does this mean for Dinwiddie's future with the Nets? His $1.5 million non-guaranteed deal seems like quite a steal for the Nets, who are looking to having approximately $30 million in cap space this summer.
Dinwiddie seems to have a solid grasp on this ever-evolving Nets second unit, beginning to improve his vision in the offense and be more assertive going to the basket.
Dinwiddie seems to play well alongside Nets rookie Isaiah Whitehead as well, whose recent move to the off-guard has proved more efficient for the unit.
While the Nets sure need to get more backcourt depth, after exploiting their lack of depth after Jeremy Lin's hamstring injury, Dinwiddie seems to be another D-League find that can make his way into the rotation next season.
More from Hoops Habit
This article originally appeared on 
