A new brew in Brooklyn
It has been a Summer of readjustments and retooling for the Brooklyn Nets as they have transitioned from a team mired in the expectations of the past to a team hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
General manager Billy King has used the route of the partial guarantee, the minimum contract and the D-League call up to morph a once bloated and aging roster into a streamlined stockpile of young and hungry prospects.
After successfully completing a contract buyout with underachieving and enigmatic point guard Deron Williams, Billy King has rounded out his roster with journeymen, second and third chance players and a much needed jolt of youth and enthusiasm. The roster is now filled with athletes and grinders, the type of players that coach Lionel Hollins coached so successfully in Memphis.
The transformation began on draft night when Brooklyn added Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a highly energetic and elite wing defender sorely lacking on recent rosters. The makeover continued in free agency with the addition of key players such as athletic point guard Shane Larkin and Thomas Robinson, a much needed physical rebounder. Other key additions include D-League veteran Willie Reed and recent signee Donald Sloan, last of the Indiana Pacers.
The journey of Willie Reed profoundly highlights the new direction the Nets franchise has taken. Reed, now 25, has undauntedly pursued his dream of making and contributing to an NBA team despite countless disappointments and near misses. His journey is wonderfully featured in a piece by Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders August 15, 2015, Willie Reed Gets His Shot. Kennedy states, “Reed approached Summer League like a professional. This was a business trip and he treated it as such. While many of the younger players were going out and partying at night, Reed was at his hotel and in bed early. This wasn’t a vacation; this was every man for himself in a brawl for NBA jobs. As a veteran, he understood that.”
It is a common theme that runs through the Nets roster this season, stories of perseverance, character and determination. With Lionel Hollins at the reins, this younger, hungrier Nets squad may have the ideal coach to mold this group and maximize the talent on the roster. The fans of Brooklyn may finally have a group they can identify and relate to, players who actually want to play here and grow as both individuals and as a team. A new season of basketball is brewing in Brooklyn, but the foundation has been laid this Summer in the grind.