One Statistic Proves Nets Had One of the Biggest Rises in Roster Talent

No one expects the Brooklyn Nets to be very good this season, perhaps even the Nets themselves. They've set themselves up for a long but promising rebuild, with young talent, draft picks and cap space for years to come.

This offseason really saw the Nets embrace that rebuild. Last year, they came into the season with veterans lingering, but a series of trades over a span of about nine months leaves Brooklyn with the roster it has now.

There are still some older players, but guys like Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann aren't necessarily pieces waiting to be moved like Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson were last season.

Even so, the Nets actually got better in roster talent, according to one statistic. Contrary to many's belief, Brooklyn's moves emphasize the rebuild, but also allow for high upside.

ESPN's Neil Paine ranked the five NBA teams that had the biggest increase in WAR (wins above replacement). The Nets rank fourth, in company with the LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets (another surprise). Brooklyn had a +3.0 change, losing a 7.0 WAR but adding 10.0.

"The Nets were bad last season, winning just 26 games -- their fewest since 2016-17 -- and they will likely be bad again," Paine wrote. "However, they did acquire the more productive recent player (plus an unprotected first-round pick) in the trade that shipped Johnson to Denver in July.

"It was a cap-driven move for the Nuggets, but the Nets got a player in Porter who is younger and produced nearly twice as many WAR (11.7 vs. 6.3) over the past two seasons, helping to drive their net WAR (+3.0) here."

Brooklyn's top additions in terms of WAR were Porter (5.6), Haywood Highsmith ( 1.7), Mann (1.5) and Egor Demin (0.6). The top losses were Johnson (3.5) and D'Angelo Russell (2.8), but they were expected to leave this summer. Russell signed with the Mavericks in free agency.

Although the Nets swapped veterans with other teams, they have more upside with five first-round picks set to make their debuts. Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf weren't the most highly regarded selections across the league, but the amount of potential they have can't be ignored. Having five rookies in itself should be enough to get fans excited.

Brooklyn's goal will be to watch the youth develop and set itself up for a top pick in 2026. However, its WAR should tell you that the Nets could be better than people think, or at least look better on the court, even if the losses pile up.