The Brooklyn Nets are about to open the 2026-27 NBA regular season, and after a preseason that ended with a 3-1 record, there’s at least some momentum building in Brooklyn. Under head coach Jordi Fernandez, now entering his third season, the Nets are trying to stack wins. But for a rebuilding team like this, the bigger question hangs over everything: what should really count as the ultimate goal?
John Schuhmann of NBA.com framed the challenge around the pieces Brooklyn just added and the players already in place. “Randle is the new piece, and it will be interesting to see how much he and Porter connect in the Nets ’ offense.
If Sharpe is the starting center, he could be going head-to-head with some All-Star big men,” Schuhmann wrote on the Nets for NBA.com. That gives the front of the rotation a clear spotlight, especially with Julius Randle now in the mix after Brooklyn landed him from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade during the 2026 offseason.
Brooklyn’s projected home-opener starting group against the Charlotte Hornets also points to where the attention will be: Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle and Day’Ron Sharpe are all expected to be in that lineup. But even with a more competitive roster, the Nets are still carrying a larger developmental mission.
That’s where Schuhmann says the season really has to be judged. “But the focus should be on the second-year guys and how much they’ve improved after a year in the league and a summer of working on their game,” Schuhmann continued.
“[Egor] Demin seemingly has the tools to be a long-time starter, but needs to play bigger. Nolan Traoré has the quickness to bend defenses, but needs to be stronger with the ball.
And Drake Powell needs to show that he can shoot.”
Brooklyn enters the season with eight players on the roster who were selected in the last two drafts, so the front office and coaching staff have plenty of young talent to evaluate. The Nets can chase better results and player growth at the same time, and that appears to be the path forward: more than the 20 wins they posted last season, plus real progress from the younger core.
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Ben Simmons latest comments in an ESPN documentary add a painful layer of context to one of the more disappointing eras in Brooklyns recent history. Around the time he was traded to the Nets in February 2022, Simmons was dealing with a severe back injury, a setback that complicated an already difficult transition and kept him from contributing when the team was hoping he could help steady its top-end talent.
The injury situation only grew worse from there, with back surgery following in May 2022 and another major setback later in his career after he signed with Sacramento in 2026. Simmons tore his right Achilles tendon in practice, ending his 2026-27 season before it started, a reminder of how injuries have continually reshaped both his recovery and the what-ifs attached to Brooklyns failed Big Three. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rookie Situation Just Got More Interesting Before Opening Night
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The update gives the Nets a little more flexibility heading into the opener against the Charlotte Hornets, especially with roster spots and early rotation decisions still taking shape. It also comes with a complication, since fellow rookie Tyler Bilodeau will not be available because of a sprained right shoulder, leaving Brooklyn to sort through its first look at the class with one piece back and another still sidelined. [Read more 🡒]
Moe Wagner Just Gave Nets Fans A Fresh Reason To Notice Him
Moe Wagners move to Brooklyn comes with the kind of personal layer that often gets lost in the churn of summer roster news. After six seasons with the Orlando Magic, the veteran big man has landed with the Nets on a two-year deal, bringing experience and frontcourt depth to a team that can use both. For Brooklyn, it is a straightforward addition on paper, but for Wagner it is also a chance to reset in a place that already feels familiar.
He described Brooklyn as a second home, a feeling tied to how it reminds him of Berlin, and he sounded genuinely eager to settle in as a backup center. On the other side of the family equation, Franz Wagner made clear the departure carried a bittersweet edge, even as he reflected on the time the brothers spent sharing the floor. For the Nets, the emotional backdrop is secondary to the basketball fit, but it still makes Wagner an arrival worth watching as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]