Timberwolves Season Series Preview: Brooklyn Nets
By Nick Kelly
This is the fifth part in our series previewing each of the Timberwolves’ opponents and the upcoming season series.
Let’s take a look at the Brooklyn Nets and what the match-up with the Timberwolves will look in 2016-17.
Tale of the tape: Minnesota handled Brooklyn fairly easily last season, defeating them in both match-ups by an average margin of 14.5 points.
The Nets ranked near the bottom in both offense and defense last season, and it showed against a Timberwolves team that had no problem scoring in bunches against them. A 132-point outburst at the Target Center in early March highlighted what turned out to be an easy pair of victories.
What’s new? Brooklyn has been in rebuilding mode now for the past two seasons, and they brought in several new pieces to help supplement that. We’ll see a much different Nets team this year.
Jeremy Lin was what I would consider their “high-profile” signing out of free agency. Linsanity is entering this season with his sixth team in seven years in the league. He may now be better known for his hair than his production on the court, but Lin has the ability to provide a boost as a starting combo guard in an area where Brooklyn has struggled since the departure of Deron Williams.
Lin will bring the star power, while the additions of Randy Foye and Greivis Vasquez will add depth and experience to the back court.
Luis Scola also comes to Brooklyn after spending last season in Toronto. Scola has shown ability to be a starting power forward in the league, and he’ll fill that role this season for the Nets. His field goal percentage has decreased each year, but much of that is due to his increase in range.
Gorgui Dieng or Karl-Anthony Towns may have to step out on occasion to defend against the three, but the Wolves won’t need to worry about him being a shut-down defender on the other end.
More from Timberwolves News
- The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
- Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
- In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
- Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
- Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?
The Nets also received the draft rights to Caris LaVert from Indiana in exchange for former Wolf (and now, former Net) Thaddeus Young. LaVert is a shooting guard out of Michigan that should play a valuable role off the bench for Brooklyn.
His production increased in all three major categories throughout each of his four years in college, where he was a three-year starter. He has battled injury, but should he stay healthy, he has a promising outlook on a solid professional career.
Key losses: Joe Johnson, Jarrett Jack, Thaddeus Young
What’s the same? Brook Lopez returns for his eighth season with the Nets. He had one of his best statistical categories last season.
Lopez is a dominant presence in the paint, but his range is very limited. Keeping him out of the key and forcing him into jumpers will be an important tasks for Minnesota’s big men.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returns for his second season after a disappointing rookie campaign. He missed over half of the season due to injury, but showed signs of being a decent starter when healthy.
Another Net with limited range, forcing Hollis-Jefferson outside will equal good things for the opposition. This will be a good chance for Andrew Wiggins to show his defensive improvement.
Bojan Bogdonovic also returns along with Sean Kilpatrick to fill the wing spots. With Bogdonovic, you know what to expect; he won’t come out and surprise anybody, but he can do a little bit of everything. As long as you don’t let him take over a game, there’s nothing to worry about.
Kilpatrick has been a bit of a journeyman through his first two years, playing for three different teams (including the Timberwolves for four games in 2014-15). Although he has seen limited time, he had a great end to last season. Whether that will carry through on to this year is yet to be seen. If he continues that trend, I expect his time off the bench to increase.
My prediction? It’s tough to see Brooklyn taking a game from the Timberwolves this year. They are just beginning a rebuild, and Minnesota just looks vastly better in almost every aspect. How the Wolves handle these games will be a good indicator of just what kind of team they are, and if fans should really start buying into the hype.
Next: Top-5 Kevin Garnett Games With The Timberwolves
Minnesota will take on the Nets for the first time on November eighth in Brooklyn.