What each returning Net should work on ahead of 2023-24 NBA season

The offseason is a crucial time of improvement for NBA athletes, with a full summer for most to hone their crafts and diminish their weaknesses. Player development has been and will be a core tenant for the Nets, so expect these months to set up the year-over-year leaps many fans are hoping for from their players.

Here are the skills each returning Net should focus on improving before next season begins.

Mikal Bridges - Playmaking

In Bridges’ jump from role player to lead man, any questions surrounding his self-creation and offensive talents were quickly answered in the regular season and validated in the playoffs. However, despite his increased load, his assist rate actually dropped moving from Phoenix to Brooklyn.

Naturally, the next step in his development should be learning how to better leverage his defensive attention to playmaker for others. Bridges isn’t at all a selfish player, nor does he give the ball away flagrantly, so this should be a feasible improvement that would do wonders for his game and his team.

Cam Johnson - Mid-range scoring

Another talent brought in from the Kevin Durant deal, Johnson proved his preparedness for a bigger role offensively with his knockdown shooting and solid finishing. His in-between game left a bit to be desired though, shooting just 44.1 percent from the mid-range as a whole and worse from just outside the rim area.

If Johnson can improve his efficiency from there, and develop more of a floater and short-range jumper, it would be a major boon to his scoring package.

Nic Claxton - Free-throw shooting

Claxton had another down year from the charity stripe, once again limiting his otherwise strong impact around the rim. His 54.1 percent clip tracked among the worst in the league, but should he get that up above 60 percent, it would make him a much more feared threat in the paint.

Spencer Dinwiddie - Interior decision-making

Dinwiddie will once again be one of Brooklyn’s lone guard creators and will need to make better reads in the paint after struggling under last year’s load. His wild inside scoring attempts hurt his efficiency, and while he stepped up as a playmaker, he needs to be sharper in order to get the most out of this Nets offense.

Dorian Finney-Smith - Attacking closeouts

Slotted in the four position as a 3-and-D guy, Finney-Smith struggled to connect on his deep ball as a Net, but after consistent above-average shooting seasons that will likely turn around on its own. What needs added focus will be his ability to attack aggressive closeouts and make defenses pay once he steps into the arc, whether that be from playmaking or scoring.

Royce O’Neal - Two-point scoring

O’Neal has long been a dependable connector, defender and deep ball shooter, but struggled in a less potent Nets offense that needed more creation. He’s had strong two-point shooting seasons but struggled to convert inside the arc last year, and should work on how he can better exploit mismatches and find comfortable looks from that range for 2023-24.

Ben Simmons - Finishing confidence

Much of the frustration with Simmons’ year wasn’t from the plays he fumbled but the ones he didn’t even try to make. Obviously, with his injury and other history, he wasn’t going to go back to Philly poster-dunk Simmons overnight, but he went entire games without even looking at the rim despite having many opportunities.

Going into this year with a mindset that would accept failure, so long as he wasn’t bashful or tentative, would be a welcome sight for Nets fans.

Cam Thomas - Playing within a team context

Nobody has ever questioned Thomas’s individual scoring talent, but what’s prevented him from holding onto consistent playing time has always been translating that into a winning team-friendly scheme. Brooklyn won’t be handing their entire offense to him anytime soon, so he needs to adjust his game to better work amongst others in order to evolve as a player.