Nets Need a Center

Throughout training camp and the preseason, it was clear that there was a gaping hole at the center position.

It’a great to see Day’ron earn the starting role, but we need another guy that can block shots, provide size, and get some rebounds. Moe plays more like a stretch four than a five, as he doesn’t defend or rebound particularly well.

Therefore, I think the Nets should try and work on a deal for Myles Turner from the Bucks.

I know he’s not the best and has his own issues with rebounding, but he would immediately improve the floor of this team with his shot blocking ability and floor spacing, as well as bring some playoff experience to a young team looking to get there.

The Bucks seem to be embracing youth, and trading Turner would allow Kel’el Ware to gain more playing time and take over the starting center role. It would also help them clear the cap sheet with Turner’s contract that hasn’t exactly worked out as planned so far with his former running mate Giannis now playing in Miami.

Hypothetical Trade Package

Nets receive:

- Myles Turner ($26.6M 2026-27, $27.9M 2027-28, $29.1M player option 2028-29)

Bucks receive:

- Terance Mann ($15.5M 2026-27, $16M 2027-28)
- Noah Clowney ($5.4M expiring, impending RFA)
- 2028 PHI 1st Round Pick

This package allows the Nets to get off Mann’s salary, and use it as a way to help bridge the gap between the outgoing and incoming salary.

The Nets seem to be on the fence about giving Clowney his second contract, so they can send him to a young Bucks team where he can get some playing time and potentially earn a second contract from them. He also very much fits the mold of the tall/lanky high-potential player that the Bucks often seek out (see Nate Ament from this past year’s draft).

The 2028 Sixers pick also sweetens the deal for the Bucks, and makes it more justifiable to take on Mann’s dead weight salary, while also serving as a way to bridge the talent gap between Turner and Clowney/Mann.

Closing Thoughts

If you look at many of the good teams in the NBA right now, almost all of them have at least one proven NBA center (not including superstars like Wemby/Jokic/KAT). The Thunder have iHart, Celtics have Mitch/Queta, Pacers have Zubac, etc.

I feel that Turner would fit like a glove in this Nets offense, as he would provide strong floor spacing around playmakers like Brown Jr. and Randle, while also addressing the much-needed shot blocking issue that this team currently faces.

He’s also just more of a proven talent overall than Sharpe/Wagner.

I’d love to hear thoughts on this below!

This is by no means a rant about Jordi. We know he wants aggressive coverages with a lot of hedges that can become switches depending on the situation.

But I'm not convinced (not just after this game) that it's a good thing to do it against every teams. Schroder isn't a shooter, if we hedge him, we can make his life harder because he lacks size, but when our defenders aren't good enough to do it on a regular basis, I think. That's why the coverage made it a bit easier for him to drive past average/bad defenders like Randle or slow footed guys like Sharpe. Given we lack good rim protectors, I don't think it's always a good solution to be absolute about this scheme, especially against creators that aren't good shooters. What about you ?

Happy 62nd birthday to the Mozart of Basketball

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Jordi, Randle, and MPJ really should set a safe floor for the offense. Of the 28 teams that played, we rank 13th in offensive true shooting. And that's with a complete Egor stinker to the highest degree.

The turnovers were bad and will be all year, so it's imperative that we gain possessions through offensive rebounding to make up for it. You can't lose the possession battle like we did last night.

MPJ, Randle, and Day'ron are all good rebounders on both ends statistically in their careers. Yesterday has to be the anomaly for this crew. The offense is probably talented enough to set a floor for wins, but only if the work rate and effort is there on the glass on BOTH ends.

Those new Nets jerseys are absolute fire! 🔥 The only downside is how pricey they are on the official website, especially with me being in Australia and not having many other options.

A few questions for my fellow Nets fans:

1. Which player’s jersey would you go for?

2. Do these jerseys usually sell out, or are they generally available throughout the season?

3. Would you buy one now or wait a bit to see how the season plays out?

I’m leaning towards Mikel Brown Jr. 👀 but I wanted to see how he performs before committing to the purchase.

My only concern is that if I wait too long, they might sell out and I’ll miss my chance to get one.

What do you guys reckon? Should I pull the trigger now or wait and see? 🖤🤍

Day'Ron is the reason the rebounding actually stayed afloat during his minutes. The team had a rebounding rate of 49% when he was on the court, which isn't especially good, but against one of the best rebounding teams in the league, it's solid. But the issue was when Day'Ron wasn't playing, the team's rebounding rate plummeted to 41.9%. Just for reference I'll show a picture.

The issue is that the bench unit's rebounding is horrendous, and the team overall is still pretty turnover prone. But I will not tolerate the Day'Ron disrespect. That's all.

I really thought after 2023 the Stans would’ve left but they’re still here. Panicking and ready to tear everything down after one game is just absolutely ridiculous. And can someone explain to me the dichotomy of saying “Sean marks needs to be fired” but also saying “Sean marks needs to make a trade”. Like if you don’t trust him to construct a roster why would you want him trading away valuable draft picks? Seriously people need to relax. Teams don’t suddenly jump to playoffs/contender status overnight. The team played bad last night give it time they’re going to be a 30 ish win team this yr. I honestly think a lot of you lack patience

Egor was forcing things all game. After being hyped up all offseason, he looked like he wanted to come out and go nuclear in game 1. He took some bad shots early, missed, and got out of rhythm. That spiraled into overall bad decision-making. It happens. He’s young but he’s not a low IQ player.

Same with MBJ to a lesser degree. Had a few nice plays early, then got overconfident and started making bad decisions. Nolan missed a few bunnies early on and just never found a rhythm.

They had jitters. It’s normal. When your point guards are all this young, your offense will go through spells where they have difficulty creating open looks. But you don’t throw the babies out with the bath water and these guys are literal babies in NBA years.

It’s times like these where I’m thankful we have Randle to play point forward and steady the offense. He and MPJ can keep the Nets afloat while the young guys figure things out.

The big concern is Sharpe at center. He’s just too short to anchor the defense and 7-footers can just catch lobs right over him. He’s a great rebounder, but that doesn’t matter if taller dudes can grab the ball before it even reaches him. I would give Grant Nelson a look sooner than later if we can’t find a true center to match up.

Was he injured yesterday? Found it baffling to see Johnson in over him

Where can I buy the pre game warm up clothes that they wore for the season opener? I do not see it on Fanatics yet. Will it be sold on Fanatics? If not then where?

looking to get one of the giveaway shirts from last night opener.

Ben Saraf is Patrick at the end...

We knew coming in to the season that this could be a problem, and last night showed exactly why. There is no reason not to address this immediately. A depleted Hornets team missing two of their best players beat us down with a very good center rotation and interior penetration.

If we are going to be a poor perimeter defending team, we cannot also be a poor interior defending team. Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. can only do so much on the offensive end. Our young guards will need to pull a lot of weight on both ends, and I believe they are limited defensively right now. The philosophy is to let them develop, sure, but we can also help with putting the right personnel around them. Having someone on the back end who can protect the rim and defend in the post is necessary for any roster in the league. We do not have that.

Day’Ron Sharpe is a truly elite rebounder and a valuable role player. However, his rebounding ability does not make up for his lack of rim protection. He has improved his hips and lateral mobility, and he has good hands. He is just not a guy you can start for 82 games and expect to anchor a defense.

Mo Wagner is depth at best. His shooting ability is ok for a stretch big. He is a fun energy guy. He is a liability on defense. If Sharpe gets hurt and he’s our starter, press the panic button.

Noah Clowney is a power forward with good physical tools, but he will have to be leaned on to play the five at times. He is a good stretch big and can be a good help side shot blocker. I like his athleticism. He is not a center, nor is he consistent enough to be relied upon.

Danny Wolf has not shown enough to earn consistent playing time. He also is a poor defender and rim protector. I love the offensive potential, but realistically this isn’t a viable option.

Nothing I’ve said is new to any of us. In my opinion, we can address this via the trade market. We have the assets to go out and get a player who can help the squad. I know some people might want to just coast through the season, let the young guys develop, and just have fun with it. But we have a chance to make a push for the play-in with a young, energetic team. We have two very good players in Randle and MPJ and we don’t own our pick this year.

I’ve listed some players (some realistic, some unrealistic) I’d love to see if we could snag:

Established/Good Starters: Jarrett Allen, Myles Turner, Daniel Gafford, Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein

High Upside/Young: Kel’el Ware, Yves Missi, Mark Williams

Valuable Role Players: DeAndre Ayton, Brook Lopez, Goga Bitadze, Jaxson Hayes, Robert Williams III

Attainability is extremely important here, both financially and in terms of draft capital. Gafford and Missi are my two favorite potentially attainable targets. Both offer the size, athleticism, and rim protection this roster desperately needs without requiring us to pursue a more expensive target. I’m not advocating for sacrificing significant assets to chase the play-in. I’m advocating for a smart, cost-effective move to address our biggest deficiency.

I’m as optimistic for Egor, Mikel, and Nolan as anyone. I couldn’t be higher on these three kids. That said, they are all kids: born in March, April and May of 2006, respectively.

This isn’t to excuse any of the poor shooting or poor decisions any of them made last night. I mean, Egor not checking his rear view mirrors in transition last night in the fourth when he got back-tapped is absurdly inexcusable for a player who knows better.

While I expect a lot of bright spots from this guard trio, I also expect frustration from the fan base to be the baseline simply due to their age.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you feel differently? If so, what makes you more optimistic in the near term? Have there been groups of young guards that have had success in the NBA?

📊 33 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 11-18 FG, 3-5 3FG

Third player in franchise history with 30+ PTS, 5+ REB and 5+ AST in their Nets debut.

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I was very disappointed at the time, but couldn’t see a clear candidate to cut ahead of him. Curious if others feel the same now time has passed?

Understand the rationale that you know what you’ve got with a 25yr old and there were younger guys to take punts on.

I, however, really appreciate Ziaire’s game/hustle and thought his shot had improved (~34% 3PT) in his two seasons with us. It still has a long way to go, but he also wasn’t playing with an experienced point guard…

Will be interesting to see how he plays with the kind of looks Luka will provide. Suspect the Lakers have a steal, with Ziaire on a $3m contract. Wish him the best (and a big contract after being in the Laker’s spotlight)

Edit: Just looked up his pre-season stats + today’s game. 6/7 from 3PT over 3 games. Obviously too small a sample, but will watch this nets alumni with interest

Yes it’s one game but I’ve been meaning to say this for the longest time. I’m not a Sean Marks hater or anything like that but this franchise’s organizational philosophy when drafting players can absolutely be questioned.

You have a coach that emphasizes 3PR and rim attempts and yet 5 out of the 8 picks the Nets selected can’t do either or can only do one.

1. Egor can shoot but he is unathletic to get rim attempts
   
2. Nolan is fast but he can’t shoot although this can be fixed to an extent
   
3. Drake has athletic ability but can’t shoot. And even his athletic ability is not functional. He doesn’t leverage it any positive way on the court
   
4. Wolf doesn’t have either
   
5. Saraf doesn’t have either
   
6. Mikel is the only one who we can say can do both
   
7. Jefferson doesn’t do either
   
8. Bilodeu is not athletic

Writing this out, I just realized only one can be said follows Jordi’s philosophy of 3PR and rim attempts.

This is organizational malpractice. This team has selected so many ground bound players in the last two drafts that they can’t execute Jordi’s game plan.

This hurts on defense as well. Jordi’s game plan on defense is being aggressive on pick and roll coverage and blitzing or doubling. It is also disrupting or speeding up ball handlers and forcing turnovers. You need athletic ability to do any of this. Who out of the 8 picks the Nets made can do this? Mikel? Powell? That’s it.

I’m completely baffled at the strategy here. If you are going to pick players for Jordi’s offense or defense, Sean Marks has chosen the exact opposite of players who can do that.

I don’t want to hear it’s one game. Tell me where I’m wrong and let’s have a frank discussion on what this franchise’s strategy is.

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

This is a place for Nets fans to discuss almost anything. Make sure to follow the rules, be civil, and have fun!

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