The Brooklyn Nets are still deep in the rebuild, and the latest ESPN outlook makes clear just how much ground they have left to cover before they’re back in the playoff mix.
ESPN ranked Brooklyn 24th in its projection of where each NBA team will stand three years from now, with Dean Oliver pointing to a franchise that has assets in some areas but not nearly enough established talent. He wrote, "The Nets are top five in both money and draft for the third straight season but bottom five in players," and added that teams in that kind of spot are usually "two years away from being about average or better."
Oliver then took the thought a step further, saying, "But given Brooklyn's low win predictions for this season, the franchise might have actually been two years away from being two years away back in 2024 (to paraphrase Fran Fraschilla)." In other words, the path back to relevance may be longer than the usual rebuild timeline.
That fits with ESPN’s broader view of the roster and organization. Brooklyn landed 21st or worse in four of the key categories used in the rankings: players, management, draft, and money. The one area where the Nets checked in much higher was market, where they were 11th, a nod to the appeal of New York City.
Even after Brooklyn traded for Julius Randle this offseason, the roster still needs more talent before anyone can seriously talk about a playoff push. ESPN’s numbers suggest the Nets are still in the stage where building the foundation matters more than chasing wins, and if they really are only two years from contention, the front office may need to start moving with a little more urgency.
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