Nets' Recent Success Shows Play-In Push Isn't Out of Reach

The Brooklyn Nets have been quite bad to start the year, but they might be turning things around.

On Friday night, the Nets went into Boston and shocked the Celtics just a few days after falling in the same matchup in Barclays Center. With that game also counting toward the NBA Cup, the Nets effectively eliminated Boston from contention in the in-season tournament.

That win marked the third of Brooklyn’s season after it had secured some wins in Washington and Indiana against the only teams sitting below the Nets in the Eastern Conference standings. While those wins didn’t exactly say much about the Nets, their win in Boston might have shown that this team is better than its 3-12 start.

Throughout the early weeks of the season, the Nets have been one of the worst teams in the league but have fought hard in a number of contests. Although clutch time was unkind to Brooklyn early in the season, doing enough to escape with road wins over the past couple of weeks should give Jordi Fernandez’s squad some confidence moving forward.

This season still seems to be a clear tanking year for the Nets, but it’s hard not to wonder if they should make a run at the play-in if it’s in range later in the season. Currently, the Celtics hold the No. 10 spot in the East with an 8-8 record.

Although the Nets are nine games below .500 heading into their road battle against the streaking Toronto Raptors, the East is still quite weak and could put Brooklyn in a situation to make a big decision later. While this draft class certainly appears to have some big-time prospects at the top, Brooklyn would be quite disappointed if it tanks all season just to end up outside of the top four, which is entirely in play.

So, one potential reason the Nets could consider a play-in run is to get their pick back in 2027. If the Nets can find some success this season and get in or around the play-in, they could easily end up with a pick in the 8-12 range. Considering the Nets would have the threat of making win-now moves next offseason, the Houston Rockets would likely have no issues taking that late lottery pick from Brooklyn in exchange for that 2027 pick.

Sure, the plan is still for the Nets to bottom out and get a top pick, but if things continue to fall in Brooklyn’s favor on the floor, plan B might not be so bad.