One Trait Each Projected Nets' Starter Needs to Develop This Season

Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. are two high-quality scoring options. Nic Claxton, who can defend and rebound among the best big men in the league, holds down the center position. Terance Mann has proven to be one of the best connecting pieces in the NBA. It is uncertain how Egor Demin will perform in his rookie year, but he was regarded as the best playmaker in college basketball as a freshman.

Sean Marks is approaching the Nets' rebuild as a marathon and not a sprint. While no one in the organization wants to lose and intentionally losing games creates a negative culture, the reality is that the current roster is not strong enough to compete this season. This situation provides a good opportunity for the starters to work on improving the weaker aspects of their skill sets.

Egor Demin

The area where Demin needs the most improvement is his inside scoring. In three games at NBA Summer League, he took 27 shots, but only four of them were two-point field goal attempts. With his unique 6-foot-9 frame, he has the potential to effectively score at the rim, but he has faced challenges when trying to drive to the basket.

Demin faced little difficulty getting into the paint during college, particularly when utilizing the pick-and-roll. However, he was often hesitant to take shots. Most of the time, he will have a smaller defender guarding him, and he should be selfish with his shot selection to become a more all-around player.

Cam Thomas

Most people would point to something on the defensive end for Thomas to work on, but at some point, it has to be concluded that he will not be a high-level defender. Instead, he should focus on ball protection.

Thomas has increased his turnover production every year of his career. In 25 games last season, he had a 3.8-to-2.5 assist-turnover ratio. While everyone acknowledges that Thomas is a proficient scorer, he must minimize turnovers, especially when the offense revolves around him.

Terance Mann

Mann finds himself in a challenging position with Brooklyn. If he earns the starting spot, he will likely be responsible for guarding the opposing team's best ball handler. While he is a competent on-ball defender, he will need to improve his skills to meet the demands of this role on the team.

"Why do y'all want me to score so bad?" Mann said in an interview during his time with the Los Angeles Clippers. "That is not my job."

He played a similar role with the Clippers, but throughout his career, he has never averaged more than one steal per game in any season. Mann's commitment to defense is commendable, and he is likely to face his biggest challenge yet with the Nets.

Michael Porter Jr.

The skill that Porter Jr. could benefit the most from working on come this regular season is his paint presence. He stands at 6-foot-10 and has a vertical leap of around 40 inches. He could use his physical build and athletic ability better on defense, and polish his scoring within the paint.

"I don't feel like I've reached my peak," Porter Jr. said. "I'm excited to grow my game, expand my game, explore my game, and see what I could do."

Nic Claxton

Something that would be interesting to see Claxton practice this coming season is developing his three-point shot. He should target at least one outside attempt per game and aim for a shooting percentage above 25%.

Claxton is a well-rounded player, but he is not a prolific scorer because defenders do not take him seriously beyond the arc. In recent years, the NBA has seen several centers develop their three-point shooting out of necessity, and Claxton should at least try to increase his attempts from that range.

Brooklyn's roster will experience growing pains this season, but with the talented players and the style of play that Jordi Fernandez envisions, exciting basketball could be on the horizon.