Does the Nets' Flatbush Five Have Championship Offense Potential?

The Brooklyn Nets are trying to bake a cake without the main ingredient. While the NBA's best offenses have increasingly prioritized efficient scoring at the rim over sheer three-point volume, Brooklyn's rookie core still lacks the proven shooting necessary to create those opportunities. Whether the "Flatbush Five" can solve that equation may determine if the rebuild produces a contender or simply another lottery team.

Proven players like Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton may not be on the roster for much longer. Porter Jr. is eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension this offseason, but the Nets likely won't offer more than a four-year, $180 million front-loaded contract.

With the roster potentially looking drastically different for the 2026-27 season, the only players who will likely be with Brooklyn for another year of development are from its 2025 draft class. More players will be added in hopes of reaching a championship at the end of this rebuild, but how does its core currently stand?

To see if the Nets' five rookies have potential for postseason success, we'll have to look at how the current NBA Finals teams reached the big stage.

Both the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder had top-seven offenses and top-three defenses in the regular season. The Nets are nowhere near having that level of offense or defense –– boasting the league's worst offense and 25th defense.

Looking at lineups for Brooklyn involving two or more rookies, its hopes of success may hinge on the backs of Egor Dëmin and Nolan Traoré. In five-man lineups with both rookie guards, the team scored 2.3 points per minute and shot 47.4% from the field. The Nets' offense showed signs of promise with their combination of playmaking, but had a -9 plus/minus when the two shared the court. The team boasted a -10 plus/minus for the entire season, so there's little difference between other lineups.

Something interesting about what has led to the Spurs' and Thunder's offensive successes is their scoring volume inside the arc compared to outside the arc. The Thunder were 13th in three-point attempts per game in the regular season, and the Spurs were 14th, yet both teams were in the top seven for effective field goal percentage.

Brooklyn was 11th in the NBA in three-point attempts per game, but was dead last in three-point percentage. The rookies won't help this case very much in finding an efficient balance between scoring on the perimeter and at the rim.

Dëmin was the only efficient outside shooter at 38.5% on 6.2 attempts per game. He only attempted 2.4 two-point field goals per game. Danny Wolf and Traoré may become reliable three-point shooters one day, but probably not on high volume. They both shot worse than 33% from three on fewer than four attempts per game. Drake Powell and Ben Saraf were far better at scoring inside the arc than out. Powell shot 28% from deep but 53.6% on twos, while Saraf shot 21.1% from deep but 46.9% on twos.

The encouraging aspect for Brooklyn is that its rookie class offers multiple avenues to offensive improvement. Dėmin, Traoré and Saraf all possess playmaking ability, giving the Nets more developing creation. However, the success of that vision will likely depend on perimeter shooting. Opposing defenses may continue to pack the paint, exposing the same spacing issues that plagued Brooklyn throughout this season.

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