What the Brooklyn Nets Can Learn From Young Players in the NBA Playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets, in the first season of a total rebuild, logically missed the NBA playoffs; however, there are still lessons to be applied to the organization’s future from this year’s postseason.

Broadly, the Nets have two paths towards reconstruction right now: the NBA Draft or acquiring a big fish free agent. General manager Sean Marks has said as much, and it starts with the 2025 draft.

“It’s just about being opportunistic as to how we build and when we go all-in again, so to speak, and there could be going all-in with [...] free agents or trades, but it also could be go[ing] all-in with systematically growing some homegrown talent,” he said. “And we've done that in the past and grown some guys here, developed some guys here, as well as attracted top tier talent from elsewhere.”

Brooklyn is locked into the sixth-best odds for the May 12 lottery. Picking at No. 6 would be general manager Sean Marks’ highest selection as the Nets’ chief decision maker. A wide range of intriguing players is already available there, but a dash of fortune could propel the Nets into the sweepstakes for a prospect with real star potential like VJ Edgecombe or Ace Bailey.

The second avenue for turning the franchise around involves landing that star, who is no longer just potential-based, through free agency or a trade. The latter appears far likelier in today’s NBA landscape. This option means a much shorter-term rebuild. Giannis Antetokounmpo is seemingly the dream for the Nets, and his future with the Milwaukee Bucks is already being questioned by pundits and fans after their elimination from the playoffs, but he has not indicated or even implied that he wants a trade.

Life in the NBA turns on a dime, but in either scenario, the Nets will need depth in the draft — this year’s and beyond. The current collective bargaining agreement has swapped the days of a ‘big two’ or ‘big three’ for more flexible roster construction on and off the court. In that case, it’s worth considering how first- and second-year players are faring in the playoffs. Nets fans cannot burden young players with expectations that are unrealistically heavy, even though that can be tempting.

Frankly, life as a young player in the NBA is tough, and opportunities are scarce. Memories in the league are short. For instance, the Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez (No. 18 in the 2023 draft) played 19 minutes across three games in the playoffs. Last season, he averaged 30.8 minutes in his four games, scoring 12.8 points and pitching in with 3.3 rebounds and three assists.

Looking at the 2024 draft, Tristan da Silva (No. 18) from the Orlando Magic has three DNPs in his series, but he averaged 22 minutes across his 74 regular season games. Dalton Knecht (No. 17) has played four minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, so he effectively hasn’t played in the postseason so far despite featuring in 78 regular season games.

There are more extreme examples. Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7 in 2021) hasn't gotten off the bench for two of the Golden State Warriors’ playoff games so far. He has been linked to Brooklyn. Reed Sheppard (No. 3 pick in 2024) has barely played all year. He was only on the court for 654 total minutes this season, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Even young players who carve out a role in the regular season can see their playoff minutes dwindle. Kel’el Ware entered Miami’s starting lineup in January and averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 27.8 minutes per game after that. His playoff averages went down to 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 18.3 minutes. Jaylin Williams averages 7.3 playoff minutes for the Oklahoma City Thunder compared to 16.7 in the regular season. His drop-off last season was only from 13 minutes to 12.7 minutes, although the Thunder crucially added Isaiah Hartenstein.

Evidently, chances for young players in the playoffs are far and few between. The NBA is increasingly more demanding on both ends. Players need to be more skilled than ever on offense. At the same time, that arguably makes playing defense harder than ever before — although the playoffs’ leniency towards physicality is offsetting this to some extent.

For the Nets, this means that short-term expectations for young players to add real value in the postseason have to be tempered. Prospects who were once seen as near-guarantees to contribute to contending teams are finding the rotation threshold, so to speak, very hard. That’s why it’s also worth considering which young players are still getting plenty of minutes in the playoffs.

A young player who gets playoff minutes either needs to have a standout trait or a do-it-all skill set. The first requires more specialization, although NBA players really cannot afford to be one-dimensional nowadays. Logically, there are also star prospects who fulfill their potential, which naturally leads to lots of playoff minutes early on. That includes Cade Cunningham, Amen Thompson or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to an extent. Finding depth is more challenging.

For the Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Edey, it's his sheer size and how that can warp the dimensions on a basketball court. There was too much on the Canadian center's plate as a rookie in his first playoff experience, leading to some criticism, but he is the definition of standing out. AJ Green is older at 25 years old, but he was a 2022 draft entrant. He does not stand out physically at all, but his standout trait — or his ‘superpower’ as Nets head coach Jordi Fernández might say — is his three-point shooting. He took seven threes per game in the playoffs.

This trait can be slightly shaped by team needs. For instance, Ben Mathurin shot 13.3% from three and averaged 1.5 turnovers to his 0.8 assists. That is objectively inefficient, but the Pacers feel like they need his theoretical scoring punch.

That same line of thinking can apply to Jalen Green, although he is a primary option instead of depth. Outside of a 38-point explosion, he is 10-for-34 from the field in the playoffs; however, the Houston Rockets need to get buckets, and few guys on the roster can do that. Of course, one could also argue that said scoring doesn’t need to come from Green.

The Warriors have several do-it-all pieces, although Brandin Podziemski is the embodiment of that. He can handle the ball, make efficient decisions off-ball, contribute defensively and slide across multiple roles. Quinten Post (No. 52 in 2024) is also pitching in and being rewarded by Steve Kerr. The Dutch big is playing 21 minutes per game, averaging 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.8 ‘stocks’. These players need to be assertive with how they shoot threes, rebound and play defense. Other varying examples include Christian Braun, Tari Eason, Cason Wallace, Moses Moody and Anthony Black.