Brooklyn Nets Rise in Latest NBA Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets shouldn't be too concerned with winning games at this point in the season, as their draft lottery position matters most with three games left. At 26-53, Brooklyn is currently sixth in odds, one spot behind the Philadelphia 76ers, who are on an incredible 12 games in a row.

Brooklyn's lottery odds were damaged last night in a 119-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite the young core shining, with Trendon Watford pouring in 22 points, the Nets' are nearly locked out of the top five as they hold the tiebreaker over the 76ers with just three games left. Brooklyn is nearly locked in to finish higher in the Atlantic Division, as that decides the tiebreaker in the event of a split season series.

The Nets' recent win was reflected in ESPN's latest NBA power rankings from a plethora of insiders, including Chris Herring. With the final full week of the season underway, Brooklyn was moved from 26th to 25th in the power rankings, as the New Orleans Pelicans moved from 23rd to 27th, pushing the other teams ahead.

"Brooklyn surpassed its over/under projection of 19.5 in early February, a big sign that the Nets exceeded expectations," Herring wrote. "Back in possession of their own 2025 draft pick, the Nets were widely expected to be in a rebuilding mode."

"Still, first-year coach Jordi Fernandez kept the group highly competitive despite the team trading players such as Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, and even as leading scorer Cam Thomas played in just 25 games before exiting for the remainder of the season with a left strained hamstring."

The Nets will now shift toward figuring out a direction this offseason. They have four first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, and somewhat of a young core in place already with Thomas, Jalen Wilson, Noah Clowney, and a few other names.

Brooklyn will also decide whether or not it should move on from veterans such as D'Angelo Russell and Cam Johnson. Russell is an unrestricted free agent, while Johnson has multiple years left on his contract. The 28-year-old forward gained notable trade buzz before the Feb. 6 deadline, but the Nets ultimately decided to keep him.