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In Newsday season preview, Nets further along in rebuild

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NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Brooklyn Nets Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

In its 2017-18 NBA season preview, Newsday puts the Nets on the road to recovery — further along than its crosstown rivals.

Barbara Barker, Newsday’s veteran sports columnist, put it this way in comparing the rebuilding Nets and the rebuilding Knicks...

While both teams enter this season in major rebuild mode, the Nets have a clear plan, are a few years ahead in the process and could end up being interesting to watch. In fact, judging from all the chatter on Twitter, the Nets’ backcourt has the potential to be the most exciting new pairing in Brooklyn since the advent of avocado toast.

Gotta try that.

While the Knicks have Kristaps Porzingis to soften the loss of Carmelo Anthony, now toiling in OKC, the Nets have excitement fueled by a newcomer.

Newcomer D’Angelo Russell should be super motivated after the way Magic Johnson shoved him out the door in Los Angeles. The No. 2 overall pick in 2015, Russell has the raw talent. Now that he is playing for a team focused on player development, he has a chance to mature and acquire some of the leadership skills he lacked with the Lakers.

Unlike the Post, Newsday doesn’t go in for all manner of prediction, but Greg Logan, the Nets’ “beatman”, does provide a number of wins and losses...

33-49, fourth place in Atlantic Division

Jeremy Lin says the Nets can go from having the NBA’s worst record to making the playoffs. They have greater talent and depth and the Eastern Conference is weaker. Jumping from 20 wins to 33 is reasonable, but it probably will take 37-38 to get in.33-49, fourth place in Atlantic Division

He also writes about the player who’s stock is rising — D’Angelo Russell, of course — and the player at the opposite end of the bench — Brooklyn’s own, Isaiah Whitehead.

Logan also likes the way the Nets corralled their roster in the off-season and got them to buy in to the culture ... and team chemistry.

D’Angelo Russell, who was the centerpiece of the Lopez trade, spent the summer settling into his new home, as did veteran shooters DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe, who arrived in two other trades. First-round draft pick Jarrett Allen dived into the voluntary summer program. The only late arrivals were center Timofey Mozgov, who also came in the Lopez deal but spent his summer with the Russian national team, and free-agent center Tyler Zeller, who signed shortly before training camp.Jeremy Lin says the Nets can go from having the NBA’s worst record to making the playoffs. They have greater talent and depth and the Eastern Conference is weaker. Jumping from 20 wins to 33 is reasonable, but it probably will take 37-38 to get in.33-49, fourth place in Atlantic Division.

There’s a lot more.

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