FanPost

Preseason Game Realization: Trevor Booker Will Again Lead the Nets in Rebounding

Rebounding could be an issue for the Brooklyn Nets this season. That's where a guy like Trevor Booker will be a big help. Booker can be an animal on the boards. If anyone forgot that, Tuesday's preseason game against the New York Knicks was a pleasant reminder.

Booker went bonkers on the boards. After coming off the bench and playing just 21 minutes, Booker grabbed 13 rebounds, four of which were offensive. If you stretch that out over 48 minutes, Booker would have grabbed 28 rebounds. That's an outstanding number even for a preseason game.

Obviously, he didn't go up against the best rebounding team, but the Knicks don't have slouches either. Willy Hernangomez is an up-and-coming big man that gets after it on the glass, Kristaps Porzingis can get boards as well, and Kyle O'Quinn has made his career by being a physical player inside. This was really an impressive performance by Booker in the Nets real game action since the start of training camp.

Of course, Booker probably will not keep up these kind of numbers for a regular season. It would be incredibly difficult to do so. He's always been a solid rebounder, averaging over five per game for his career in 20 minutes per game. Last season, he averaged a career high eight rebounds in almost 25 minutes per contest.

Kenny Atkinson doesn't have another rebounder quite as good as Booker. None of the players on the roster has ever averaged as many rebounds as Booker did last year. The closest would be Timofey Mozgov, who in the 2014-15 season grabbed over seven boards per contest while with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets.

The Nets will at times have difficulty on the glass. They simply don't have many real big bodies. The team is filled with wings like Demarre Carroll, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Caris LeVert, Allen Crabbe, etc., that will occupy the teams forward positions. That leaves Mozgov, Booker, Tyler Zeller, Quincy Acy, and Jarrett Allen as Brooklyn's true big men.

Zeller was a late free agent signing who might not make the roster. Even if he does, he will be one of the last guys off the bench. Allen is a promising rookie. In his NBA debut, he grabbed five rebounds in 13 minutes. Still, Allen won't see too much time early on. Acy is a similar player to Booker, an undersized power forward that plays with a lot of energy. However, Acy is not as active on the boards. Mozgov will be the team's starting center, but he doesn't necessarily fit Atkinson's style of play. He's much slower, and not as athletic.

The former Seminole has always been a good rebounder. Despite him being slightly undersized for a power forward, he's always been effective. The amount of hustle and effort that puts forth is terrific.

Maybe asking for eight rebounds per contest off the bench is asking for too much. Better yet, maybe he surprises everyone and averages even more boards in about 25 minutes per game. No matter what his statistics end up being, Booker is the Nets best rebounder. He will lead the Nets in rebounding for a second straight season.