Kristian Winfield: As Nets add veteran depth in frontcourt, here’s how they stack up against Lakers
NEW YORK — It’s all about the Nets and the Lakers.
It’s not about the Milwaukee Bucks, who just won their first NBA championship in the last 50 years, nor is it about the Phoenix Suns, who defied the odds to make it to the Finals last season. It’s not about the Clippers, though they got better, and it’s not about the Heat or Bulls, who are each trying their best super team impression.
It’s the worst-kept secret in a league in which neither Brooklyn nor Los Angeles made it to the NBA Finals last season: No team has enough firepower to deal with either of the league’s most overloaded rosters.
Except, of course, the newfound cross-country rivals.
The Lakers, fueled by Brooklyn’s Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, assembled their own Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook this summer. They then surrounded their trio with some of the league’s best role players, creating a daunting task for the Nets should the two teams meet in the NBA Finals at the end of the year.
The Nets responded to the Lakers' overhaul by signing veteran free agent Paul Millsap. They are also expected to re-sign LaMarcus Aldridge, months after he retired due to a heart condition.
Let’s head to the tale of the tape and stack these rosters side by side.
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— The off guard: Russell Westbrook (LAL) vs. Kyrie Irving (BKN)
Kyrie Irving is one of the most gifted scorers in NBA history, but Russell Westbrook catches him in just about every other category, and you can’t forget that he’s a bucket, either. Rebounding? Check. Passing? Check. Intensity? Check. And if both are playing inspired defense, the check goes to Westbrook, too.
Irving’s championship ring gives him extra brownie points, considering he hit the shot that delivered Cleveland its first NBA championship in franchise history. And even a motivated Westbrook will have trouble staying in front of the league’s craftiest ballhandler. Still, Westbrook is a triple-double machine who impacts a game in a number of ways. It’s a toss-up between these two superstar guards, but the possession arrow points in the Lakers’ direction.
Edge: Lakers, but only by a hair
— The shooter: Joe Harris (BKN) vs. Kent Bazemore (LAL)
If we know anything about LeBron James-led teams, it’s that a deadeye shooter needs to be on the floor with him at all times. The same can be said for the Nets, who have the league’s regular-season 3-point champion on their roster.
Joe Harris wins his matchup most nights. He’s a terror from downtown, a nightmare to chase around the floor, and he’s improved other facets of his offensive game, mainly the ability to put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim.
Harris, though, has a chip on each shoulder: He was a no-show for most of the second round against the Bucks when the Nets needed him most, and teams routinely attack him as the weakest link of Brooklyn’s defense.
Kent Bazemore is still a capable defender and corner shooter, but not nearly at Harris’ efficiency. The Lakers will may need to add wing depth on the buyout market.
Edge: Nets
— The traffic director: LeBron James (LAL) vs. James Harden (BKN)
As James Harden settled into his new role as the Nets’ full-time point guard, LeBron James continued to direct traffic for the Lakers while Dennis Schroder was in and out of the rotation last season. Harden is an unstoppable scorer and crafty playmaker, but LeBron has cemented his position on basketball’s Mt. Rushmore.
Edge: Lakers
— The X factor: Kevin Durant (BKN) vs. Anthony Davis (LAL)
If you replace Kevin Durant with Anthony Davis on the Team USA men’s basketball roster, does America still win gold? The answer is probably yes. Team USA was loaded, top-to-bottom.
But if you need a guy to get you 50 with the season on the line, or to hit a turnaround fading shot at the buzzer over a defender, Durant’s your guy every time. This is the same player who hit ice-cold shots over LeBron James in back-to-back NBA Finals to deliver the Warriors two straight championships. And it’s the guy who’s carrying the weight of Brooklyn’s championship dreams on his shoulders.
Edge: Nets, not by much, but by enough
— The starting center: Dwight Howard (LAL) vs. Blake Griffin (BKN)
Where Dwight Howard brings more traditional big man skills of shot-blocking, rebounding and finishing at the rim, Blake Griffin brings versatility, hustle, showmanship and a 3-ball he’s willing to let fly.
The Lakers don’t like to play Anthony Davis heavy minutes at the five and usually start him at the four with another big on the floor. That will be an interesting matchup for a Nets team that likes to play small and switch everything. And if there are prop bets, watch out for how many times these two players jaw with each other when on the floor together.
Edge: Even
— Sixth Man: Carmelo Anthony (LAL) vs. Paul Millsap (BKN)
The Lakers went with offense, and the Nets went with, well, everything else. While Carmelo Anthony is still liable to explode for a 30-point game, Paul Millsap, even at 36 years old, is still a Swiss-army knife utility player and a candidate to play small-ball minutes at the five. He’s two seasons removed from shooting 44% from 3, can guard some twos, threes, fours and fives, and is a sneaky good passer, a skill the Nets will utilize out of the high post and on the short roll.
Edge: Even, to be determined
— Spark Plug: Patty Mills, Cam Thomas (BKN) vs. Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn (LAL)
Patty Mills isn’t new to this, he’s true to this. Mills was a spark plug for the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and just led Team Australia to its first men’s basketball medal in the country’s history. Monk has yet to play truly meaningful NBA minutes, joining the Lakers after four seasons with the middling Charlotte Hornets.
Meanwhile, Cam Thomas was the Summer League co-MVP and owned the spotlight night after night. Kendrick Nunn has two years of NBA experience and played big minutes as a rookie in the NBA Finals against the Lakers in the Bubble.
Edge: Nets
— Defensive Irritant: Rajon Rondo (LAL) vs. Jevon Carter/James Johnson (BKN)
Rajon Rondo is a dog, and any team would be lucky to have him. The Lakers are especially lucky. He was part of the team that won it all in the Orlando bubble and already has hardware from his time leading the Celtics. Jevon Carter will help the Nets defensively — if he cracks the rotation behind Harden, Irving and Mills — but he’s not in Rondo’s class.
James Johnson will have an impact as a culture-setter in the locker room and an enforcer on the court, but with the Millsap addition and the presumptive Aldridge signing, it’s tough to see where he gets consistent minutes.
Edge: Lakers
— Reserve Wings: Wayne Ellington, Talen Horton-Tucker, Trevor Ariza (LAL) vs. Bruce Brown, Deandre Bembry, Alize Johnson (BKN)
Three is always going to be better than two, and as critical a role as Bruce Brown played for the Nets last season, his inability to knock down open corner 3s — or open 3s from anywhere on the floor — proved his Achilles heel. Deandre Bembry similarly struggles from 3-point range, while Wayne Ellington has a history as a playoff contributor and Talen Horton-Tucker made himself into one last season.
Edge: Lakers
— Backup center: Marc Gasol/DeAndre Jordan (LAL) vs. LaMarcus Aldridge/DeAndre Jordan/Nic Claxton/Day’Ron Sharpe (BKN)
LaMarcus Aldridge is nearing a return from his early retirement last season due to a heart condition, and The Athletic reports that the Nets are strong candidates to re-sign him this offseason. The Nets are also discussing contract buyouts scenarios with DeAndre Jordan, who is owed almost $20 million over the next two years despite not playing at all in the playoffs last season.
Oddly enough, the Lakers are frontrunners to sign Jordan should he become a free agent this summer. That means all that institutional knowledge of the Nets’ strengths and weaknesses will go directly to their opponents if they do indeed kick DJ to the curb.
Gasol is well past his All-Star days and at this point in his career, he’s a big, high IQ veteran body out there to make plays in spots. Aldridge gets the edge and could very well end up starting. If the Nets do add him to the roster, don’t rule out a five-man unit of Aldridge-Griffin-Durant-Harden-Irving. And any lineup that includes Nicolas Claxton automatically gives Brooklyn a high-energy big man proven capable of making an impact on both ends of the floor.
Edge: Nets
