Nets' Rebuild Brings Rotational Struggles Between Veteran and Young Options

Committing to the rebuild was a smart choice for the Brooklyn Nets after dealing with the aftermath of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden experiment. However, a challenge arises in balancing playing time between multiple developmental players and veteran options.

12 players on the roster are 25 years old or younger. Head coach Jordi Fernandez and the coaching staff plan on running a 10-man rotation, so some players will be left out as a priority or given playing time in the G League.

It will be a crucial decision to see if the Nets choose to give minutes rather than waiting for players to earn them. There will have to be a healthy balance between keeping personnel happy and putting the organization in a good position for future seasons.

Starting Lineup Concerns

Brooklyn's starting lineup is much less of a question mark than the roster as a whole. The backcourt featuring Egor Demin and Cam Thomas, along with the frontcourt pairing of Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton, appears to be a solid choice.

The main question is who will slot in at small forward? It most likely comes down to Ziaire Williams, Terance Mann and Haywood Highsmith. This rotation has the most proven depth, and the starting nod could go to Williams, given his experience in the system.

The Nets' offseason has been quite eventful, and it seems that this trend may continue into the regular season. It is unclear if Brooklyn will hold onto the likes of Claxton and Thomas through the entirety of the 2025-26 season. Either way, don't be surprised if there are dozens of different starting lineup combinations throughout the campaign.

Filling out Bench Rotation

The backup/reserve roles are where things get complicated. Behind Demin at point guard, Nolan Traoré and Keon Johnson are battling for minutes. Johnson has two seasons under his belt in the Nets' system and experienced an inefficient 2024-25 breakout season, but he is also a likely cut candidate.

Many of Brooklyn's players also have positional versatility, so it is hard to project where exactly they all will play. Behind Thomas, players like Mann and Drake Powell sit. Mann seems likely to play big minutes for Brooklyn in many places on the court, but the organization is high on Powell's athletic traits. The likelihood is that Powell will spend a lot of time in Long Island to begin the season.

The Nets' 2023 NBA Draft class still looms in search of minutes. Noah Clowney has secured a solid position in the rotation, as he is capable of playing any forward position. However, Dariq Whitehead and Jalen Wilson face more challenges in earning minutes. There is still so much uncertainty about Whitehead because he has only played 22 NBA games, and Wilson is on cut watch.

The front court is easier to figure out simply because there are fewer bodies. Danny Wolf and Day'Ron Sharpe should be primary backups. However, the situation could become complicated if Drew Timme makes the roster or if Clowney is repositioned among the forward positions.

Once the roster is cut down to 15 players, it should be easier to see which players get prioritized. The G League will need to be utilized as a tool for the youth who can't find immediate minutes with the Nets.