What Might the Brooklyn Nets’ Rotation Look Like?

Ahead of a complete rebuild, new head coach Jordi Fernández has plenty of work ahead of him.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While predicting the Brooklyn Nets’ rotation for this upcoming season, The Athletic’s Law Murray believes that playing Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons cannot work. 

Brooklyn Nets rotation chart

I don't see how Jordi Fernandez tries to make a starting lineup that has both Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons starting work. If I were playing fantasy, I'd pick up Cam Thomas; roster severely lacks buckets outside of himhttps://t.co/9jzyHMoBZJ pic.twitter.com/mA21Y8fLRN

— Law Murray 💡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 9, 2024

New head coach Jordi Fernández is coming into a vastly different context in Brooklyn compared to last season when the Nets featured Mikal Bridges as their go-to option. However, the organization is now in full rebuild mode after Bridges’ interborough trade to the New York Knicks.

The roster pieces, at least to start this season, are not all that distinct from the ones then-head coach Jacque Vaughn had last year. Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Dorian Finney-Smith and the aforementioned Claxton should all see plenty of playing time. Cam Johnson, following the Bridges trade, will likely become a starter — although there is potentially room for one of Bojan Bogdanovic or even Ziaire Williams to start, should Fernández prefer the sharpshooting wing off the bench.

Ben Simmons’ return will be worth tracking. The former all-star played in just 15 games for the Nets last season before he was shut down due to ongoing back issues. Simmons averaged a career-low 23.9 minutes, 6.1 points and 5.1 assists per game, and never quite found his spot in Brooklyn’s rotation. 

The Australian facilitator started the Nets' first five games of the season, missed the sixth, started the seventh on Nov. 6, 2023 and was then kept away from the court until late January. After two games off the bench, Simmons was reinserted into the starting five but failed to find his groove.

Simmons’ fit with Claxton, in particular, was a rough look for the Nets. The 6-foot-10 guard remains a total non-shooter and, with his back ailments, his elite two-way athleticism and playmaking was neutered. Simmons' last appearance of the previous season came off the bench, playing 14 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 26 and only scoring four points.

One of Fernández’s first and most pressing tasks will be to figure out where Simmons fits on his version of the Nets because he can still be very useful. This Nets team is being seen as a non-factor offensively, but there are scoring threats that Simmons can set up for easy looks in Schröder, Thomas and Johnson, as well as bigs to feed in Claxton, Noah Clowney or Day’Ron Sharpe.

At the same time, Simmons' return could take developmental minutes away from Sharpe — the Nets can only have so many non-shooters in the rotation — or from wings who could otherwise see court time, such as Jalen Wilson. Simmons is reportedly returning to training camp the healthiest he has been in years, and he should be motivated by the fact that he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer as teams have more questions than ever regarding his NBA future. 

Effectively, the Nets really only have Claxton as a long-term fixture on the team. The Georgia alum signed a four-year, $100 million deal this summer that keeps him in Brooklyn until 2028. Johnson and Shake Milton won't be unrestricted agents until 2027, but they will likely be moved by then — especially the former. 

Other upcoming unrestricted free agents next summer include Schröder, Bogdanovic and Trendon Watford. The Nets are also yet to come to terms for new contracts with Thomas or Sharpe, while having team options that are yet to be activated on Jalen Wilson, Dariq Whitehead, Keon Johnson and Clowney. Finney-Smith has a player option, but he does not fit the Nets’ big-picture timeline.

With so many moving pieces, the Nets’ rotation is almost certain to change as the season rolls on. This will very likely be the case following the trade deadline when the Nets might have moved on some of their veteran players to fully focus on “capturing the (Cooper) Flagg” in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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