18. Brooklyn Nets
It’s amazing how much change one franchise can undergo over the course of one calendar year. That is the story of the Brooklyn Nets. At this time last season, the Nets were entering the season with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster in hopes of putting together one more push for a championship. As we all know, it didn’t exactly work out and the Nets ended up trading both KD and Kyrie before the NBA Trade Deadline.
Heading into this season, the Nets have an exciting core of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. They also have a plethora of future first-round picks that they could be lining up in search of the next disgruntled young star. I’m not sure who that will be or when that will come but if it does, the Nets will be ready.
For this season, the Nets have the talent to finish as a top 5 team in the Eastern Conference. However, with how deep the conference is, there’s no guarantee that will happen. What Nets fans should be focusing on most is how comfortable – and effective – Bridges is in a lead role.