Who Will Take the Court for Nets on Opening Night?
The Brooklyn Nets begin what is sure to a 2019-2020 season full of expectations at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday Oct. 23, 2019.
Barclays Center is certainly to be raucous on Wednesday with Nets fans excited for what they hope to be an era of Nets basketball full of success.
The Nets Starting Five on Opening should be:
Kyrie Irving (Point Guard)
Joe Harris (Shooting Guard)
Caris LeVert (Small Forward)
Taurean Prince (Power Forward)
DeAndre Jordan (Center)
Irving: The six-time All Star is going to be the player the Nets will be expecting the most out of this season due to Kevin Durant not being able to suit up this year due to a torn Achilles. The NBA champion will have yet another opportunity to lead this Nets team after his two years with the Boston Celtics caused teammates to question his leadership ability. For better, or for worse, Irving will have another opportunity to prove that he could be the lead dog on a championship-caliber team. Irving could either lead the Nets to a season where they meet, or possibly exceed expectations, or the Nets could crash and burn because the point guard cannot lead the Nets to contend in the Eastern Conference.One of the best three-point shooters in the game will have to continue to shoot lights out from downtown for the Nets to meet the lofty expectations following the team into the year. Irving will need a clear lane in order to be the distributor, and overall player he would like to be during his first year in Brooklyn. An outside threat from Harris would provide the drive-and-kick threat which will be central to the team's offense this season.
Harris: One of the best three-point shooters in the game will have to continue to shoot lights out from downtown for the Nets to meet the lofty expectations following the team into the year. Irving will need a clear lane in order to be the distributor, and overall player he would like to be during his first year in Brooklyn. An outside threat from Harris would make opposing defenses guard the three-point line and provide the drive-and-kick threat which will be central to the team's offense this season.
LeVert: A three-year extension was signed this off season by LeVert which ensured the forward will be in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future, and be a crucial cog for the team going forward. The University of Michigan product will look to make positive strides, and build upon what was the greatest season of LeVert's career in 2018-2019. Injuries limited LeVert to 40 games last season, and he must be healthier during this upcoming season because the Nets will need him in order to lift some off the offensive burden off Irving's shoulders.
Prince: The 25-year old recently inked a 2 year $29 million extension with the team. Prince was traded to the Nets from the Atlanta Hawks in June, and the fact that Prince received a contract extension before playing one second of regular season basketball for the Nets shows how much the Nets brass values the former Hawk.
Jordan: The center was the most contentious starting spot for Head Coach Kenny Atkinson to decide on. The starting spot came down to the wily veteran Jordan, and the young up and comer, Jarrett Allen. Jordan, a proven commodity, got the nod over Allen in a decision that shocked some in the basketball world. The truth is that Jordan gives the Nets a much better chance to meet expectations for the upcoming season. If Atkinson were to name Allen the starting center, it would set the Nets back as a team because Allen is a neophyte and his growing pains at the center position would cost the Nets in the win-loss column. Allen is the future of the Nets at the center position, but the fact that Jordan will be the Nets starting center shows the future is still a few years away.
The Nets will draw the eye of the national media due to their successful off season, and the 2019-2020 season will be the Nets most anticipated one since 2012 when future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were traded to the Nets. Nets fans hope the upcoming season is a more successful one than it was seven years ago when expectations were also sky high, but the team fell woefully short of meeting them.
