The Brooklyn Nets reached the postseason for the fifth straight year in 2022-23, matching the second-longest streak in the franchise's NBA history. But it was a tale of two seasons in Brooklyn. The first saw them at 33-22 and six games out of the lead in the Eastern Conference on Feb. 9. That was the day Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns, three days after Kyrie Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks.
The second season was their 12-15 finish after acquiring Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson in the Durant trade and getting Dorian Finney-Smith and bringing Spencer Dinwiddie back to Brooklyn in the Irving deal. The season ended with a sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, making four opening-round exits in five seasons.
The high point, such as it was, for the superteam Nets was a seven-game loss in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks, a series that ended in an overtime defeat after Durant's toe was on the line on what would have been a series-clinching 3-pointer.
Expectations are much lower in Brooklyn, but there are reasons to believe they can still compete for a postseason bid and match the six-season playoff run by the New Jersey club from 2002-07 that included two NBA Finals appearances.
Why the Nets can compete this season: 3. A full offseason with Mikal Bridges as the No. 1 option
Upon arriving in Brooklyn last February, Mikal Bridges was cast into the unfamiliar role as the top scoring option and he responded by averaging 26.1 points on .475/.376/.894 shooting splits. Now Bridges comes to the Brooklyn Nets training camp with a full offseason program under his belt in that role.
Unlike the departed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Bridges has one of the most important abilities in basketball — durability. Since being taken by the 76ers with the 10th overall pick in 2018, Bridges went to the Suns in a draft-night trade and began what is now the longest active streak in the NBA, appearing in 392 consecutive games.
He struggled in his first postseason series as a marked man, shooting .429/.400/.783 in the sweep against Philadelphia while averaging 23.5 points per game. But he has the tools to transition from role player to team leader, provided he shoots his shot better than he did with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson earlier this week.
A full training camp with point guard Spencer Dinwiddle and the rest of the new-look Brooklyn squad can't help but build chemistry that was absent at times late last season.
Why the Nets can compete this season: 2. Unlocking Nic Claxton's offensive potential
Without the need to commit 40-plus shots a game to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, there is room in the Brooklyn Nets offense to tap into more of Nic Claxton's offensive potential. Claxton is a terrific finisher as a roll man, averaging 1.36 points per possession on 76.2% shooting while getting only 2.2 opportunities per game.
With Spencer Dinwiddie on board as one of the better pick-and-roll playmakers, Claxton should be able to find himself on the receiving end of more scoring chances near the rim in 2023-24. As it was, Claxton led the NBA, shooting 70.5% on 7.7 attempts per game, all from inside the arc. More than two-thirds of his attempts, 67.1%, where in the restricted area, where he scored on 80.5% of those chances.
Claxton averaged career-highs of 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in his first season as the unquestioned lead at the 5, averaging 29.9 minutes per game. His free throws are still an adventure — his 54.1% success rate last season was right in line with his career mark of 54.0%. If he can convert more of those chances into points, the Nets can work him into the offense more frequently.
Why the Nets can compete this season: 1. A motivated Ben Simmons looking for redemption
Over the last two seasons, one of the few things mentioned in the never-ending saga of Ben Simmons was actual basketball. Since passing up a dunk opportunity late in Game 7 of the Philadelpia 76ers' Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs, Simmons went through a messy divorce with the Sixers, was traded to Brooklyn in the James Harden deal and dealt with back and knee injuries that limited his effectivess.
During all of that, Simmons' desire and commitment to play was questioned far and wide. That's what made his recent comments so intriguing. Simmons sounds like a player ready to atone for his disastrous tenure thus far in Brooklyn.
"I owe it to everybody, the fans and everybody, to getr back to where I need to be," Simmons said. "That's what I did this summer to get back."
The 2016 No. 1 pick and 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year didn't play a single game after the trade in 2012-22 and was limited to 42 games last season by a knee injury, averaging career-lows of 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 26.3 minutes per game.
Ther last two years have done a lot to tarnish Simmons' reputation, but it's worth pointing out he was an All-NBA player in 2019-20, is a two-time All-Defensive performer and was runner-up to Rudy Gobert in the Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2020-21.
Perhaps the most telling statement from Simmons was a veiled shot at the change in Brooklyn's chemistry.
"I think just playing with guys who are just easy to play with, that just have one goal and that's to win," Simmons said. "I don't think guys have too many individual goals. I think the team is going to come first and I think the culture that (coach) Jacque Vaughn (and general manager) Sean Marks are building now has been incredible."
A healthy, motivated Ben Simmons checks a lot of boxes for the new-look Brooklyn Nets
