The Brooklyn Nets are a pleasant surprise this season. Widely regarded as a lottery team, New York’s other team has started 5-8, with close losses to league leaders Cleveland Cavaliers and defending champs Boston Celtics.
The Nets probably still won’t make it to the postseason given their lineup limitations, but they do look like a hardout for any team. And that’s largely a credit to a roster that plays hard and executes on offense. That roster, incidentally, features some fantasy studs that can help you win your respective leagues. And this edition of the NBA Roster Insider will delve right into that.
(Our earlier drafts were for the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets.)
Your Main Man: Dennis Schroder
Cam Thomas’s explosive offense—25.3 PPG, a candidate to go off for 40 every night—screams the main man. But we’ll go with Schroder’s steady contributions across the board here.
The veteran guard out of Germany has been handed the keys to Brooklyn and is having one of his best seasons yet, norming 18.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals as the Nets’ lead guard. Schroder’s numbers are actually a bit down from November when he put up 24.6 points and 8.2 dimes a game.
The drop off on the one hand indicates a regression to the mean, but it also proves the German virtuoso can be very productive across different areas.
Surefire Studs: Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith
Johnson has always been solid, and like Schroder, he is having one of his most productive seasons yet with consistent playing time and a bigger role for Brooklyn. The 28-year-old wing is on pace to equal his career season in 2022–23, posting 16.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.7 steals (as compared to 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 2022–23).
Finney-Smith is more or less in a similar situation as Johnson. Known more as an off-the-bench contributor than a starter, the 31-year-old wing is thriving in a bigger role in Brooklyn, averaging 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals—numbers very similar to the 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals he posted in his best season in 2021–22.
Low Cost, High Value Picks: Ziaire Williams, Ben Simmons
Simmons’s fall from grace is a cautionary tale that points to the pickle nature of sports. But he is still only 28, right in his athletic prime. That he is finally playing on a more consistent basis this season is clearly a step in the right direction. And when he plays, he can still fill up the stat sheet, to the tune of 5.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 0.9 steals. Good health permitting, Simmons will do more in the games ahead.
The young Williams is on pace for a career year, with averages of 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 steals. What’s impressive is he’s not norming career numbers because he’s playing more, as the 21 minutes or so he gets is per his career average. It means Williams is doing more in his minutes, which is a portent of good things to come for a young player—and an indication that what he’s doing is sustainable.
