Starting Five for Brooklyn Nets to begin 2019-2020 Season
With the Brooklyn Nets preparing to tip off their 2019-2020 season in just less than a month, the picture is becoming clearer as to who the starting five for the Nets will be when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 23 to begin the season.
The starting five for the team will be: Kyrie Irving at point guard, Joe Harris at shooting guard, Caris LeVert at small forward, Taurean Prince at power forward, and DeAndre Jordan rounding out the starting five at center.
Irving: The perennial All-Star, and NBA champion, will have huge expectations on his shoulders entering this season.Without the services of Kevin Durant, for at least the majority of the season, it will be Irving's team to lead. He is one of the best point guards in the game, and he will need to regain his form if the Nets want to make any noise in the wide-open Eastern Conference this season. It is also imperative for Irving to stay healthy for the majority of this season, or the Nets will find themselves down their two best players and falling below expectations.
Harris: The 2019 3-point shootout champion has a great opportunity in front of him entering this season. Harris had the best year of his career last season averaging 13.7 ppg, and will be a crucial cog for this Nets team. Harris needs to continue to be a lights out three-point shooter which will lead to the court being opened up for Irving to succeed at his patented style of isolation heavy basketball. Irving is a top flight one-on-one player in the National Basketball Association, and continued offensive growth by Harris will lead the New Jersey native to do what he does best.
LeVert: He is looking to build upon what was the best year of the University of Michigan product 's career before he went down with an injury after only 40 games played. LeVert was averaging 13.7 ppg, a career high, before he went down. The small forward is also looking to prove General Manager Sean Marks correct by living up to the contact extension he agreed to in the offseason. The contract is 3 year/$52 million.
Taurean Prince: The new acquisition for the Nets has a golden opportunity in front of him to begin the 2019-2020 NBA season. Power forwards Wilson Chandler and Rodions Kurucs are both embroiled in legal troubles surrounding domestic violence accusations levied against them over the summer. Prince was not expected to be a starter for the Nets to begin the season, but he must show Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and the Nets brass, that he can continue to grow as a player in the NBA. Prince averaged 13.5 ppg last season, and will be a crucial player for the Nets as they wait for the reinforcements to come in the form of Chandler and Kurucs.
Jordan: The All-Star center moves cross-town to suit up for the Brooklyn Nets. Jordan is a quality offensive player, but his main role for the Nets will be as a defensive presence. Jordan is still one of the best-rim protectors in the league, as he averaged just over a block per game last season for the New York Knicks. The center is also a supremely talented rebounder, and he will be able to provide a physical presence for the Nets that will be very important for them this season.
Sixth Man: The first player off the bench for Atkinson's team will be guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie has become a fan favorite, and has all the makings of being a franchise cornerstone piece for the Nets. He averaged just under 17 points-per-game last season (16.8), and will look to develop into the Nets third option on offense when Durant is fully healthy. Dinwiddie will not be a starter in name, but will be playing the minutes and have the expectations heaped upon him as if he were a starter. A big year is expected from Dinwiddie this upcoming season.
Even though the Nets will not have their full allotment of weapons when the season tips off in October, expectations will still be sky high, and Barclays Center will be rocking as the team gears up for their most anticipated season in years.
