The Brooklyn Nets head into training camp with a young, rebuilding roster stocked with rookies, developmental prospects and a handful of veterans whose long-term futures with the team remain unsettled. Here is where every player stands, position by position, as the season approaches.
Forward Ziaire Williams arrived in Brooklyn after a second-round pick originally traded in 2018 bounced through three separate deals before landing back with the Nets. The sweet-shooting UCLA product is on a two-way deal and still has to prove his defense can hold up at the NBA level.
Guard Egor Demin, the No. 6 pick from Louisville, is the Nets’ highest draft selection since 2010 and the centerpiece of the rebuild. He’ll face the usual growing pains of a rookie point guard and needs to add strength and cut down on turnovers, but he is expected to play major minutes from day one.
Noah Clowney started 60 games last season but is likely ticketed for a bench role this year. Despite being younger than Danny Wolf, he enters his fourth season needing to show real growth as a shooter, rim protector and rebounder.
A player who went undrafted as a rookie and spent last season with Miami’s G-League affiliate stood out at Summer League with his aggressiveness, 7-foot-7 wingspan and motor. He is a likely candidate for Long Island after camp.
Danny Wolf’s namesake teammate — the young Russian Hamidou Dëmin — flashed a 3-point shot as a rookie after questions about his outside game, and has since bulked up. He’ll need to build on the improved downhill game he showed at Summer League for it to translate into a real building block.
Wing Keon Ellis signed with Brooklyn after playing in Sacramento under coach Jordi Fernandez, who was the lead assistant there. The Nets have lacked point-of-attack defense, and Ellis is expected to provide 3-and-D minutes off the bench.
A player who went undrafted after backing up Illinois’ Final Four team last season signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, played Summer League with Brooklyn, and could end up with G-League Long Island once camp ends.
Forward Tamin Lipsey — taken with the first-round pick attached to the Julius Randle salary dump — was a versatile do-it-all player at Iowa State but joins a crowded backup forward mix that already includes Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf and Josh Minott.
A player who was called up last season averaged 8.2 points on pure athleticism and hustle despite being undersized, and was used at center in Summer League even with Danny Wolf on the roster. That performance was enough to earn a two-way contract.
Veteran Terance Mann is in an unusual spot: a heady, pricey player on a young team that is nowhere near competing and is focused on developing its youth. Whether he steals late-game minutes in close contests or gets moved to a contender remains an open question.
Josh Minott, an analytics darling with the potential to be a legitimate 3-and-D threat, has seen his minutes limited by injuries, Boston’s wing depth, and Brooklyn’s own tanking efforts. He is now expected to finally get his chance and has to take it.
Injuries wiped out much of Jalen Nelson’s last season and kept him out of Summer League in both Sacramento and Las Vegas. He landed a two-way deal and another shot at the third-string job.
Forward Michael Porter Jr. is coming off a career season and should benefit from more talent around him, including Brown and Randle. He is set to make $40.8 million and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, leaving open whether he gets extended, traded, or both.
Wing Dariq Powell is a plus athlete and gifted defender, but remains raw offensively and struggled badly with his shot over the summer. Whether his jumper improves and his athleticism translates into production is the key question.
Julius Randle, Brooklyn’s only All-Star, has averaged 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds over the past eight years. He raises the floor for this team, but at 31 and able to opt out next summer, he doesn’t fit the Nets’ timeline.
Guard Ben Saraf, another 2025 first-round pick, has a solid frame, physicality and a nose for getting downhill, but shot just 21.1 percent from 3-point range as a rookie — a number that has to come up.
Center Day’Ron Sharpe finally gets his shot as the starter after years backing up Nic Claxton. He’s a strong rebounder per 100 possessions but has never averaged more than 18.7 minutes in a season, leaving it unclear whether his production holds up over a larger workload.
A quick, rim-attacking young Frenchman posted a league-worst 44.4 percent on layups among all players with at least 100 attempts. Added muscle will need to help the former first-rounder finish better at the rim.
With Claxton gone and Sharpe now the starter, Moe Wagner signed in free agency as Brooklyn’s other proven center. He is expected to play heavy minutes, and the question is whether his floor spacing can make up for a lack of rim protection.
Danny Wolf, despite his size, plays more like a jumbo wing than a backup center. He can dribble and pass, but his ground-bound game means the 22-year-old still has to improve his finishing or his jumper — a theme that runs through much of this roster.
