Brooklyn Nets: Rebuild focusing on team puts them so far ahead

In what has become a league driven by individual players and superstars, the Brooklyn Nets remain focused on building a team, leaving them better off.

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of a rebuild. This is no secret. However, just because it is not over, does not mean it is not on track. The Nets’ rebuild is.

The number one thing the Nets are focused on right now is being a team. Developing talent takes a lot of time. Bringing in talent is super expensive and not guaranteed to work or even happen.

Right now, the Nets only prayer to succeed is to mold well as a team. They do not have a star like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, etc.

That is why the Nets’ fatal flaw of not having a “superstar” right now is the best thing for them.

This league has become so driven by stars and how to keep them happy that sometimes it’s hard to remember it is even basketball, a team game.

Sure, the most recent success has been the Cavs carried by one man, and the Warriors carried by multiple superstars. But one thing remains the same, superstar players all moving together or doing whatever they want is what runs this league.

That is simply how it is. Look at the Raptors now. They are paying people to come to be part of the team to help keep Kawhi Leonard happy.

Look at even the Champs, the NBA Warriors. They are an outstanding team and well coached. But to become a dynasty they had to bring in multiple superstar players and they all had to take pay cuts to do it, that will not last.

Look at a team like the Boston Celtics as a decent example of what the Nets are going for. When Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward went down with an injury, they were playing with no stars. They were a win away from winning the conference.

Their focus was on great defense and playing well together, stars will emerge naturally by doing that.

That is what the Nets need to be going for and what they are. Their focus on becoming a great team and not trying to build just onestar player is going to leave them so far ahead.

That is a wonderful thing for their fans. Even if the Nets decide to go out and get on big free agent player, whoever it may be, the focus of the rebuild will not entirely change.

The Nets have a little bit of everything in them.

They are becoming a three-point shooting team like the Rockets.

Are building their own stars through draft and trade like Denver Nuggets.

Then they are learning to play well as a team like the Celtics.

It does not take deep hitting analysis to see that the Nets’ biggest flaw right now is that they do not have a “superstar” player. That simply does not work right now for them, at least not anymore.

Look what happened when the cross-town rival Knicks ditched the traditional rebuild and team focus to go get a “superstar” in Carmelo Anthony, it didn’t work.

Yeah, the Knicks did improve from where they were but didn’t get to be that much better for a long time.

That is the same mistake the Nets are trying to avoid. The Nets have gone down that road too when they went all-in for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Even more so when they went out to get a “superstar” in Joe Johnson to play with Deron Williams.

Granted, all those players had decent years with the Nets, but they all only found limited success.

That is why the Nets’ fatal flaw of not having a “superstar” right now is the best thing for them. Let them use this time to get a young core together. Let them use Kenny Atkinson to get the most of out them to see how they can best help the team.

Right now, the state of the NBA might be that the team with the most “superstars” wins but even that will not work with no chemistry, no supporting cast, and nothing beyond a small window of success.

The Nets are going to look like an old-new NBA team. By that, they are going to rely on this rebuild to work through trying to keep guys together for a long time, learning how to play together, and not giving up the future to be “ready now.”

This is the old NBA, but setting up to come back around again in a few seasons. Nothing lasts forever.

Even Jordan’s Bulls were just a great team despite having the best player. The Nets won’t quite get there, but that is what works.

The days have been frustrating in Brooklyn the last few seasons. The feeling around the team has been as dark as their jersey’s lately.

But, if all goes according to plan, the Brooklyn Nets’ culture will turn from ineptitude and being trapped in awfulness to being a great place to play and having a good TEAM for a while.

The Nets focusing on a team culture and getting better slowly rather than blowing it all to be like everyone else has them so far again.

They can still go out and get a “superstar” too, this time it would just be done right and differently. The foundation will already be there and whoever it may be will be one last piece, not the whole puzzle.

The league landscape might be hurting the Nets right now. But, the Nets are setting themselves up to be really far ahead of it soon.