How the Atlantic Division Will Affect the Brooklyn Nets’ Rebuild

In 2025, divisions don't mean anywhere near what they used to in the NBA. Pre-2016, winning your division ensured a top-four seed, providing real incentive to compete for a divisional banner. Now that seeding is purely based on record, the achievement is far less illustrious.

Still, the Brooklyn Nets will play their Atlantic Division rivals each four times next season—accounting for 16 of the team's games. Unfortunately for the rebuilding Brooklyn, two teams within the division were top-three seeds last season, one boasts a former MVP and another is finally ready to compete.

The New York Knicks should be viewed as favorites, followed by the now-healthy Philadelphia 76ers. The Boston Celtics remain a wildcard without Jayson Tatum, and the Toronto Raptors have quietly accumulated a great mixture of young talent and impactful veterans.

So, even though division titles have lost their luster, how does the Atlantic Division's level of talent affect the future of the Nets' rebuild?

As it stands, Brooklyn has the most inexperienced roster of all five teams. Its lineup will include a handful of players whom head coach Jordi Fernandez has taken on as developmental projects, potentially five rookies and a couple holdovers from the previous staff (Nic Claxton, Day'Ron Sharpe, RFA Cam Thomas).

In pure head-to-head matchups, barring injury, it's hard to imagine the Nets being favored much over their rivals. This is not saying that Brooklyn should be picked to drop all 16 games against Atlantic opponents, but the expectation is that it will lose a majority of them.

Last season, the Nets lost 56 games and ended up with a top-10 draft choice. That means they lost about 68.3% of their games. Due to the additions the franchise made this offseason—including the five-man draft class and trade for Michael Porter Jr.—let's say Brooklyn only loses 64% of its games next season.

When applying that percentage to the Nets' divisional schedule, they'd be projected to win about six games, with 10 equating to losses.

Starting the season knowing that you've basically already got 10 losses attached to your record could be discouraging—unless you're rebuilding.

While Brooklyn's presence in the Atlantic Division may translate to a lot of losses over the next few seasons, especially once Tatum is healthy, it could be vital to securing another top draft choice.

And, it'll have to happen next season, because the Houston Rockets own the right to swap with Brooklyn in 2027.

It may be somewhat indirectly, but the Knicks, Celtics, 76ers and Raptors will have a massive influence on who may end up being the next face of the Nets.