Continuity of Young Core Could Help Brooklyn Nets' 2027 Playoff Push

Brooklyn will have plenty of familiar faces on the roster next season.

Dec 1, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) high fives forward Noah Clowney (21) in front of Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping to get back to the postseason, and the continuity of their young core could help get them there.

As the Nets prepare for next season, many of the storylines surrounding the team are focused on the changes that were made in the offseason. Trading for Julius Randle and drafting Mikel Brown Jr. top the list for Brooklyn, but there may be a bit too much focus on what’s new.

As the Nets head into next season and look to integrate their latest additions into the rotation, Jordi Fernandez will also have plenty of returning talent to work with. Perhaps most importantly, most of the young talent that Brooklyn is hoping to continue developing has already played together. 

The Nets’ five 2025 draft picks, plus Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney, have all played together already, which could help Brooklyn’s quest for a postseason berth. Particularly, that continuity and chemistry could come into play early in the season.

As many teams in the East will be trying to fit the pieces together after a wild offseason, Brooklyn’s changes won’t seem so drastic. Sure, there will be an adjustment period getting Randle and Brown into the right roles, as both project to be starters, but the rest of Brooklyn’s rotation has mostly played together already.

Of course, there might not be too much to take away from the fact that continuity is intact for the core of a 20-win team. Still, that sort of experience should give Brooklyn a boost, even if only a small one, as it looks to get off to a hot start and pave the way for its potential postseason push.

Along with the young core having played together, they’ve also played alongside Michael Porter Jr. already. Considering much of the talk is about how Randle and Brown may fit, given their expected significant roles, having Porter with a year under his belt in Brooklyn as the leading scorer is another step in the right direction.

Fernandez will have no shortage of questions to answer next season as Brooklyn looks to come out of its rebuild and be among the league’s surprise teams. Yet, he may have a slight advantage if the chemistry built last season can carry over and allow his rotations to gel more quickly and easily in 2026-27.

Overall, Brooklyn’s continuity is only a small piece of the puzzle, but it could still come up big throughout an 82-game season.