Brooklyn Nets Can't Afford Slow Start to 2026-27 Season

Playing from behind in the standings could be a recipe for disaster in Brooklyn.

Mar 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez on the bench during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets are set for another season, and how they start could go a long way in determining how the season unfolds.

After an offseason full of change, the Nets are looking to get back to playing competitive basketball. Winning only 20 games last season, the Nets were among the league’s worst, and without control of their 2027 first-round pick, they’re hoping to change their fate.

After such a disappointing 2025-26 season, the Nets need to find ways to succeed throughout an 82-game grind. That will mean big contributions will have to come from their plethora of first- and second-year players. 

Add in the chemistry that still needs to be built after trading for Julius Randle and adding others throughout the summer, and the Nets will have some potential growing pains to work through. For Brooklyn, that will obviously be on display most during the early stages of the season.

Considering the depth of the Eastern Conference next season, getting into the play-in will be no easy task, and that goal will only become a tougher one to achieve if the Nets start digging themselves a hole. Despite all of the challenges that Brooklyn will face to begin the season, it can’t afford to put itself in a hole in the standings.

The depth of the Eastern Conference will have a considerable impact on how Brooklyn might fare in its push for the postseason. Of course, until the season starts, it will be nearly impossible to predict exactly what kind of impact that will be.

There’s a chance the depth could lead to more parity toward the middle of the standings and create a gap between the postseason teams and non-play-in teams, which would be disastrous for Brooklyn if it starts slow. On the other hand, if that depth causes more of a bottleneck toward the bottom of the standings, Brooklyn could use a quicker start to its advantage and get into the mix more easily.

Either way, a slow start would be rough for the Nets as they look to make any sort of postseason push. In some scenarios, a slower start wouldn’t entirely kill their hopes of making it in if they can put together a run late in the season, perhaps similar to what Charlotte did last season.

However, if the Nets want to give themselves a realistic shot of making it back to the postseason, they effectively need to be in midseason form when the season tips off.