Key Deficiencies Were Addressed

Coach Kenny Atkinson’s offense is predicated on pace and perimeter shooting. In 2017-18 Brooklyn had the 6th fastest pace but they finished 20th in 3-point shooting accuracy (35.6%).

Napier is a solid 3-point shooter, finishing last season with a percentage of 37.6% from the perimeter on nearly three attempts per contest. On the wing, Graham was awesome from the arc (41.2%) though on limited attempts (1.5 per game). He’ll likely see some more extended court time but will keep a similar role as a 3-and-D specialist. If that number comes down on a higher number of attempts, that will still please Atkinson and the coaching staff, as long as it still hovers around that 37-38% range.

Dudley only played 48 games last season so it’s better to analyse his numbers over the last couple of years. Since his final season in Washington (2015-16) he’s shot almost 39% from the perimeter on 2.6 attempts per game. Atkinson and his staff would be more than pleased they added players of those ilk who should slot in nicely to the Nets offensive scheme.

On paper, the Nets were a decent rebounding squad. While they ranked 9th in rebounds per game last season, but it’s when you look to the overall rebounding percentage where things start to look a little more bleak. The team finished 25th when combining offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, a number which should improve thanks to a couple of offseason additions.

Ed Davis automatically addresses some of those issues. As Kane Pitman revealed in an article for Hoops Habit:

In 18.9 minutes per game in 2017-18, Davis reeled in 7.4 boards, which led the league for players averaging less than 20 minutes per contest.

As for Faried, per Basketball Reference, he’s finished top ten in offensive rebounding in four individual seasons. His energy will bring a much needed jolt for a previously undermanned froncourt. He may not reach that peak this season but in a contract year, don’t put it past him if he’s given enough playing time.