The Brooklyn Nets’ path back toward relevance starts with a simple but stubborn problem: they have to shoot it better from deep.
That was the issue last season, when Brooklyn tied for the worst 3-point percentage in the league at 34% and also finished with the worst offense in the NBA. In a league that lives and dies on spacing and shot-making, that kind of production leaves no room to hide.
The good news for the Nets is that they have already added some pieces that should help. Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr. headline Brooklyn’s offseason so far, and both give the roster more playmaking punch than it had before. Even so, the real swing factor is whether the current group can turn more of those looks into makes.
That matters because Brooklyn was not exactly timid from long range. Under Jordi Fernandez, the Nets kept firing, finishing 11th in the league in 3-point attempts at 38.4 per game.
The volume was there. The accuracy wasn’t.
That split tells the story of where this team is right now. Brooklyn has been stuck near the bottom of the standings for the past few seasons, chasing lottery luck and coming up empty while trying to find a franchise cornerstone. Now, without its own first-round pick next season, the Nets are preparing to compete in a crowded Eastern Conference.
There is reason to think the shooting can improve. The roster is younger, the group has more experience than it did a year ago, and several players are still adjusting to the NBA 3-point line. That kind of growth does not happen overnight, but it does happen.
For Brooklyn, the formula is clear enough. If the Nets can lift their shooting from the outside, the offense should follow, and with it, a real chance to get back into the postseason picture in 2027.
In Other News...
Nets Young Core Makes Loud Summer Statement In Blowout Of Kings
The Nets summer group did more than just win a July game against Sacramento, it announced itself early and then kept the pressure on. Egor Dmin set the tone with 16 points in the first period and was already up to 20 by halftime, while Mikel Brown Jr. and Drake Powell gave Brooklyn more of the kind of balanced scoring and activity teams hope to see from a young roster trying to sort out its next layer of talent.
Brooklyn never really let the Kings breathe after that opening push, and the result was a blowout that felt as much about pace and poise as it did about shot-making. Sacramento had its own bright spot in Darius Acuff, who led all scorers with 26 points and added five assists, but the bigger question for the Nets is whether this kind of summer showing can carry over once the games start to count and the competition gets a lot less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Guard Nolan Traore Offers Encouraging Injury Update
Nolan Traores summer has been more about the training room than the court, but the early signs around the Nets guard are still encouraging. Brooklyn has been monitoring his recovery closely after he was held out of summer league action, and the organization has continued to frame his rehab as moving in the right direction.
Sean Marks said Traore is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, which matters because the rookie guard is in the mix for minutes at point guard when the season opens. With Mikel Brown Jr. and Ben Saraf also in that competition, Traores availability could shape how quickly Brooklyn sorts out its backcourt rotation. [Read more 🡒]