The Brooklyn Nets are starting from a place nobody expects to be glamorous. That’s the reality. But if you’re hunting for a path to the 2027 postseason, the door isn’t completely shut.
Brooklyn’s case starts with the idea that the roster may fit together better than people think. When the Nets brought in Randle the night before the NBA Draft, the immediate reaction was obvious: how do you make two ball-dominant forwards work together? The answer, at least on paper, is that there’s a version of this where Randle and Porter complement each other instead of crowding the same space.
Porter brings a different scoring profile. The 28-year-old is quicker to let it fly, often working as a catch-and-shoot perimeter threat who doesn’t need a bunch of dribbles to get to his shot.
That showed up in a big way last season, when he put up a career-best 24.2 points per game while shooting 46-36-86. Randle, by contrast, is more deliberate and more comfortable living in the midrange.
If both players stay efficient, hold up on opposite ends of the floor and build chemistry under Jordi Fernández, Brooklyn could have one of the stronger frontcourt pairings in the league.
The backcourt is where the Nets’ next layer of hope lives. Egor Dёmin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr. headline a young guard group that also includes Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf and Drake Powell.
There’s veteran help in Terance Mann and Keon Ellis as well. Dёmin already showed he can be efficient from deep, finishing his rookie season with 10.3 points per game and a 38.5% mark from three, and he also has the passing ability to work alongside Brown.
If what showed up in this year’s NBA Summer League carries into the regular season, Brooklyn could have something real. A backcourt that shoots it well, moves it quickly and keeps the offense humming would change the conversation fast, especially if Dёmin and Brown connect the way the Nets hope they can.
Of course, the Nets’ route to the postseason is not just about what they do. It also depends on what happens around them.
The East has already been reshaped by teams making major moves, with the Philadelphia 76ers landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown and the Miami Heat acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo. That leaves Brooklyn needing more than a decent internal story; it needs the middle of the conference to wobble.
That’s the opening. The Indiana Pacers are still uncertain with Tyrese Haliburton back in the picture.
The Orlando Magic are trying to move forward under new head coach Sean Sweeney. The Chicago Bulls are navigating major organizational turnover.
The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, just traded their franchise point guard.
If the Nets can rise above that group, the path to the postseason is there. It would be Brooklyn’s first trip since 2023.
In Other News...
Nets First Rounders Are Already Headed Down Very Different Paths
Brooklyns two first-round picks are already being viewed through very different lenses as the summer turns toward training camp. Mikel Brown Jr. arrives with the kind of immediate opportunity that can fast-track a rookies development, while Joshua Jefferson is being cast as more of a long-view investment, the sort of player the Nets want to mold rather than rush.
For Brown, the appeal is his ability to help organize an offense that will need structure from the jump, even with other young guards in the mix. Jeffersons path looks more developmental, with Brooklyn looking for him to sharpen his outside shot and round out his game so he can eventually carve out a real role in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Fans Are Facing Another Major Change To Watching Games
Another change is coming for Nets fans who have already had to adjust to the shifting world of streaming. MSG Networks and the YES Network have struck a partnership with DAZN that will reshape how viewers access a wide slice of New York sports, with the arrangement set to begin with the 2026-2027 NBA and NHL seasons.
For Brooklyn supporters, the practical effect is another new home for game viewing in a market where access has become increasingly fragmented. Current Gotham Sports App users will be moved over as part of the transition, while traditional pay TV subscribers who already receive YES or MSG will still be able to watch through DAZN at no extra cost, as the company expands deeper into the U.S. regional sports business. [Read more 🡒]
Mikel Brown Jr. Just Gave Nets Fans A Real Reason To Watch
Mikel Brown Jr. gave Brooklyn a useful glimpse of what he might become this summer, and it came at a time when the Nets were looking for any positive signs from a rookie guard working his way back from a back injury. After taking part in both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, Brown started to look more comfortable as the games went on, showing the kind of ballhandling and activity that can make a young guard worth tracking once the real season arrives.
In Las Vegas, Brown put together a solid three-game stretch with 16.7 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals, production that suggested he was not just participating but making real progress. The bigger takeaway for Brooklyn is the trend line, since he was able to handle more minutes as the week unfolded and appeared to be moving closer to full readiness, even if there is still more to learn about how quickly that momentum carries into the fall. [Read more 🡒]