Takeaway from Brooklyn Nets Media Day
Friday was Brooklyn Nets Media Day! The season is finally upon us as all the Nets players and coaches gathered at the Nets practice facility in New Jersey to address the media.
Each person provided positive insight about this upcoming season and we got to see some Nets players in uniform for the very first time. Here are a few recap from Friday:
Lionel Hollins was the first speaker for Media day and one thing became immediately clear: he is a much better press conference speaker than Jason Kidd was. He provided useful insights about various players on the roster.
Last week, he told the media that Kevin Garnett would start at the power forward position. However, the complete starting 5 is yet to be named. Hollins hinted that Joe Johnson would start at small forward. The shooting guard postion will mostly feature either Alan Anderson, Jarrett Jack, or Bojan Bogdanović. Andrei Kirilenko, a true small forward, will likely come off the bench.Currently, Anderson is the most likely option at the shooting guard position.
Additionally, Hollins was high on international players on the roster. He stated how rookie Bojan Bogdanović and Bosnian Power Forward Mirza Teletovic have been the biggest surprises so far this season. Hollins backed up Bogdanović, saying how he is more than just a shooter. Hopefully Bogdanović can adjust quickly to the NBA and Hollins will allow him enough time to get acclimated.
Hollins also talked about Deron Williams and his health. On the notion that Deron is a “coach killer,” Lionel fired back saying, “I have a reputation of being a player killer.” Williams has a history of having problems with the head coaches, so Hollins will need to put him in his place at times. The Head Coach said that there would be no restrictions on Williams during training camp and that he is not concerned about his health. He did say that Brook Lopez will be limited in two a days.
Next up on the podium was Kevin Garnett, who seemed much more open to the media than usual. He was cracking jokes and winking throughout the press conference. He joked that although he is impressed with the new Europeans’ ability to shoot, he is struggling to learn their names and trying to come up with nicknames. Garnett did admit he considered retirement in the offseason, but wanted to come back and has been working out since June. He said that he is very motivated and the only goal is to win a championship. He has no desire to finish in second place.
Deron Williams spoke to the media, saying that he is not yet 100% and only 20% better than he was last season. That does not bode well for him or the Nets because they need him at 100% if they want to get far into the playoffs.
Joe Johnson said that they were going to miss Paul Pierce, but it didn’t seem like he was going to miss Jason Kidd. He took a few shots at the old coach, saying they didn’t really practice much under Kidd and he knows that Hollins is much different.
The Nets big man Brook Lopez took to the podium to announce that he feels great and does not expect any restrictions. He said he has heard many good things about Lionel from members of the Grizzlies, but that “it’s been interesting” having 7 different coaches so far in his NBA career.
Overall the main point at Nets Media Day was health and consistency under Lionel Hollins. The players are embracing the lowered expectations and know that Hollins will do everything he can to maximize the potential of the team just like he did in Memphis. As long as the Nets can stay healthy they will be a good team. How good remains to be seen.