Brooklyn Nets: 2015-16 player profiles

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Here are our player scouting reports and 2015-16 projections for the Brooklyn Nets.

Projected starters

Jarrett Jack
Position: Guard
Experience: 10 years
2015-16 projections

Scouting report
+ Aging combo guard who will be thrust into starting point guard role with Deron Williams' departure
+ Too quick to call his own number offensively, slumped badly from 3-point range last season
+ Has strength to defend either guard spot, but quickness could be an issue against point guards

Analysis
With the Deron Williams buyout, Jack will likely enter this season as a starting point guard, the first time he's done so since 2011-12 in New Orleans. Brooklyn went 11-16 in Jack's 27 starts last season but 7-6 in the 13 games Williams came off the bench. In the 14 games the Nets played with Jack as their lone point guard, they were 4-10.

As recently as 2012-13, Jack was an effective offensive player, which earned him a four-year deal worth more than $25 million. Since then, his efficiency has cratered. In 2013-14 in Cleveland, Jack struggled inside the arc. His 2-point percentage bounced back last season, but his 3-point accuracy dipped to 26.7 percent -- Jack's lowest mark since his rookie season. That didn't stop Jack from using 22.7 percent of Brooklyn's plays while on the court, a rate that's hard to justify even if his true-shooting percentage can climb back to league average. Jack is not a good distributor for a starting point guard and, according to NBA.com/Stats, the Nets averaged 4.9 fewer points per 100 possessions with him at the controls instead of Williams.

A stout 6-foot-3, Jack was more than capable of playing together with Williams in the backcourt. As a lead guard, he might have trouble chasing smaller players around at times. Jack turns 32 on opening night and isn't as quick as he once was. His combination of age and a salary that's just $500,000 guaranteed in 2016-17 makes Jack a candidate to be waived next summer.

Joe Johnson
Position: Guard
Experience: 14 years
2015-16 projections

Scouting report
+ League's second-highest paid player remains useful as a veteran role player
+ Crafty post scorer, even against bigger defenders; average to slightly better 3-point shooter
+ Fine rebounder for a wing -- strength and size are best defensive assets

Analysis
While a solid contributor on the wing, Johnson cannot possibly justify making the NBA's second-highest salary ($24.9 million) this season. At long last, the six-year, $123.7 million contract Johnson signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2010 will conclude next summer. For now, he's the last reminder left of the Nets' vain effort to spend their way into contention by taking on highly paid veterans.

The most obvious evidence of Johnson's advancing age is his declining usage rate, which dipped to 20.3 percent last season. Brooklyn can no longer isolate Johnson and expect him to create a good shot; "Iso Joe" scored 159 points on isolations last season, according to Synergy Sports tracking, barely half his 2012-13 total (309). He has scored more points on post-ups over the last two years, taking advantage of his strength. Johnson also ran more pick-and-rolls last season. He remains a spot-up threat. His 3-point percentage declined to 35.9 percent last season, but it likely will be closer to his career mark (37.1 percent) this year.

Johnson's size and strength also have aged well defensively, making him more effective against small forwards than shooting guards at this stage of his career. Per NBA.com/Stats, the Nets allowed 4.3 points fewer points per 100 possessions with Johnson at the 3 spot. He even played a little 4 in extremely small lineups, and Johnson's rebounding ability meant Brooklyn wasn't overmatched on the glass.

Bojan Bogdanovic
Position: Forward
Experience: 1 year
2015-16 projections

Scouting report
+ Croatian wing with good size and strength for the position
+ Capable outside shooter, good finisher around the basket and moves well without the ball
+ Poor rebounder, improved defensively over course of season

Analysis
Taken with the first pick of the second round in 2011, Bogdanovic finally turned up in the NBA last season on a three-year contract worth slightly more than $10 million. At age 25, Bogdanovic played the fifth-most minutes among all rookies and started 28 games, as well as five more in the playoffs. He got better throughout the season, culminating in winning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for April after averaging 14.4 points on 48.8 percent 3-point shooting.

After Johnson, Bogdanovic was Lionel Hollins' best offensive option on the wing. He wasn't quite as effective as advertised overall from downtown, making 35.5 percent of his 3s, but he shot an impressive 53.2 percent inside the arc. Bogdanovic finished well over bigger defenders. He also kept opponents occupied with his ability to cut off the ball and create separation working with off-ball screens. So even when Bogdanovic didn't start, he often played with the starters to begin the second half and finished games. While his April explosion was based largely on unsustainable 3-point shooting, it shows the potential for Bogdanovic to do more in the future.

The need for a better wing defender was the key reason Bogdanovic typically played off the bench. He struggled initially to keep up with NBA athletes but got more comfortable over the course of the season. In the playoffs, Hollins trusted him to defend Kyle Korver. That improvement might help Bogdanovic solidify a starting job this year.

Thaddeus Young
Position: Forward
Experience: 8 years
2015-16 projections

Scouting report
+ Undersized lefty power forward who uses quickness to beat bigger defenders
+ Solid, creative finisher, but only an adequate 3-point shooter, at best
+ Weak rebounder and rim protector; more comfortable defending on the perimeter

Analysis
Around last year's trade deadline, Young must have been wondering if it was him. After playing for the 19-63 76ers in 2013-14, Young was traded to Minnesota and saw the team go 11-42. He got his reprieve in a deadline deal straight up for Kevin Garnett. Young's arrival helped Brooklyn win more games after the All-Star break (17) than the Timberwolves did all season (16). He played in the postseason for the first time since 2012, then signed a four-year contract this summer worth $50 million to stay with the Nets.

Replacing Garnett with Young helped create more space for Brook Lopez to operate in the post. While Young isn't exactly a stretch 4 -- last season's 33.0 percent was the best he has shot from 3-point range since 2009-10, and it came on just 115 attempts -- he can pose a threat on the perimeter with his ability to beat slower defenders off the dribble. Young has good touch around the basket, almost exclusively using his natural left hand, and he benefited from playing with better offensive teammates. Young's 2-point percentage rebounded to 51.6 percent in Brooklyn.

To some extent, playing Young means trading better offense for weaker interior defense. A small forward at times early in his career, the 6-foot-8 Young provides little obstacle to opponents around the basket. Opponents made 60.1 percent of their attempts within five feet when Young was the closest defender, which per SportVU tracking on NBA.com/Stats was the league's third-worst mark. He also still rebounds like a small forward. Nonetheless, ESPN's real plus-minus rates Young as a net positive on defense. He moves his feet well and is at home defending smaller players given his history as a wing.

Brook Lopez
Position: Center
Experience: 7 years
2015-16 projections

Scouting report
+ Talented scorer who recaptured past All-Star form after the All-Star break
+ High-usage, moderate efficiency scorer with good touch; accurate set shooter to around 20 feet
+ Above-average shot-blocker, struggles to defend more mobile centers due to limited lateral quickness

Analysis
At midseason, the notion of Lopez signing a big deal this summer seemed laughable. Coming back from a recurrence of foot trouble that cost him 65 games in 2013-14, Lopez had a tough time coexisting with fellow big men Garnett and Mason Plumlee and came off the bench much of the first half. The addition of Young gave Lopez a more ideal frontcourt partner, and he surged down the stretch. Lopez averaged 22.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per 36 minutes after the All-Star break. while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. The Nets rewarded him with a new three-year contract worth nearly $64 million.

When healthy, Lopez is one of the league's most skilled offensive centers. He's a threat with his back to the basket and is exceptionally accurate using a turnaround push shot. Lopez will even use the push shot as something of a floater from the perimeter. A set shooter, he's a threat on the pick-and-pop, with range to about 20 feet. (Lopez did launch 10 3-pointers last season, more than his previous career to date, but made just one, his first in an NBA game.) Lopez also sets himself apart from other centers with his free throw shooting (81.4 percent last season), which bolsters his efficiency.

Despite mostly playing flat-footed on defense, Lopez is a good shot-blocker who rejected 4.8 percent of opponents' 2-point attempts last season. He is less effective when drawn away from the basket. Lopez is slow laterally and uncomfortable on the perimeter. His quickness also is an issue when asked to do anything but drop as a pick-and-roll defender.

Reserves See more Insider player profiles