Nets Rumors: Upgrades Wanted For Small Forward Spot
Brooklyn Nets Rumors: Small forward is the position the Nets are reportedly looking to upgrade this offseason.
Recent Brooklyn Nets rumors revolve around some of their plans for the 2017 offseason. The Nets will have two selections in the 2017 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, none are their own pick. Their pick, which is a lock for the top four, will be sent to the Boston Celtics as part of a past trade. The Nets will instead pick twice in the late 20’s.
This is considered to be a deep draft, so the Nets should still land some talented players. They will unlikely be a franchise changing player, which the Nets would have a chance to select had they owned their own pick.
The draft picks will help improve a Nets roster void of much young talent. With the worst record in the NBA in 2016-17, the Nets could use help basically everywhere. But, if the Nets want to make drastic improvements to the talent on their roster it will have to come in free agency.
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It will not be an easy process. General manager Sean Marks has already begun, scouting players overseas. One area that Marks specifically wants to improve is small forward.
"“We know the three position for us is certainly one that needs to be addressed,” Marks told Nets Magazine recently, according to the New York Post. “I look at it too that we have some free agents of our own who we need to know what’s going to happen with them there first.“Where we are in our life cycle it’s not where we can say, ‘We’re only missing this.’ To be honest, we need to look at everybody. We’re looking at the best players available. That’s coming through the draft, that’s coming through free agency.”"
The Nets struggled at small forward last season. Their small forwards ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference in efficiency rating. The Nets’ small forwards had a positive efficiency rating in only 31 games, and the Nets had a record of 14-17. In the 48 games, they had a negative efficiency rating the Nets went 6-42.
Caris LeVert looked showed flashes for the Nets in his rookie season. Joe Harris also logged a long of minutes at the position, so an upgrade would be welcomed. Last season the Nets small forwards had an efficiency of 20.5, while opponents had an efficiency rating of 24.2. But, the Nets cannot shoehorn themselves.
Based on the efficiency numbers, small forward wasn’t even the Nets biggest problem. Both point guard and shooting guard had lower efficiency numbers. The center and guard positions had bigger negative differentials as well.
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Given the roster they currently have the Nets could afford an upgrade basically everywhere. The only players probably guaranteed minutes for next season are Jeremy Lin and Brook Lopez. Every other spot should be up for grabs in the rotation