Brooklyn Nets Disrespected in Latest NBA Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets finished with one of the worst records in the NBA last season. This offseason, the front office made moves to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

From acquiring Julius Randle in a trade to drafting Mikel Brown Jr., the Nets have focused on adding talent to the roster. General manager Sean Marks has done a good job adding pieces to a roster that desperately needed it. With an intriguing mix of veterans and young players with high upside, optimism is high among the fanbase.

That, combined with strong Summer League performances from Brown and Egor Demin, should put the Nets in a position to take a big step next season. One major media outlet doesn’t believe that to be the case.

CBS Sports released their way too early power rankings for next season. The Nets found themselves way lower on the list than many may expect, coming in at 29th. Here's what writer Brad Botkin had to say about Brooklyn.

"The Nets traded for Julius Randle, but that deal hasn't been made official yet. Is Brooklyn just keeping as much cap space open as possible to see if anyone comes calling to dump salary?

Are they going to renegotiate Michael Porter Jr.'s deal? Nic Claxton is out. Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner are in.

Could the Nets trade MPJ and look to sign Peyton Watson? Whatever they do, they are not going to be a good team this season. But they're aiming, like everyone else, to also not be in the bottom three."Brad Botkin, CBS Sports

Botkin's criticism of the roster is fair, but ranking them as the second-to-worst team in the league is harsh. He has teams like the Kings, Grizzlies, and Bulls ahead of the Nets. There's a good argument to be made that the Nets have a more talented roster than all of those teams. All of these teams have holes, but the Nets may be able to outplay those holes with the depth Marks has built.

Brooklyn is not going to be any kind of powerhouse this season. They're just hoping to be in the race for a play-in spot. But ranking them at 29th out of 30 teams is disingenuous to the roster the front office has put together.

There are high-level scorers in Michael Porter Jr. and Randle. There are high-caliber young guards in Brown and Demin. And the bench could surprise some people after the additions of Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner.

The Nets will hope to use lists like these as fuel this season. They'll need it if they want to start winning games and accelerating the rebuild.