Team Awards 30-31
Posted: November 26th, 2025, 11:01 am
TEAM AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Luka. Diabolical season. He's inevitable, regardless of whether the analytics nerds should've chosen Wemby (probably) or SGA (probably not, sorry!) His playoff super-sub turn indicated a player who will age brilliantly. If we make the playoffs again this year, who knows how we'll use him... LOL
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rasheer Fleming. Had a critical defense & rebounding boost coming out of TC, which hopefully isn't fleeting. He's versatile and helps mitigate one of our core weaknesses: defensive playmaking.
MOST IMPROVED: Cooper Flagg. We saw the shooting improve, but also critically, the 3-year Handles freebie stuck.
SIXTH MAN: Darius Garland. He was our starting Point Guard when I joined. And what a full circle moment - if not totally advised - to have him chase Nolan Traore around for 7 games in the ECF. He's a great value due to his Emergency (or eff it YOU'RE STARTING) PG ability and probably-borderline-95 jump shot. We were undone by poor shooting in 2029-30, and part of the solution was right under our nose.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Nijaun Harris. Had a 21-year-old's inconsistency and his handles are a bit loose. However, he was drafted to sunset Mikal Bridges (happy trails) and showed a lot of promise at shooting guard. Helped expand our overall range - the offense was much better in the last 30 games.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Minus-27 turnovers in a 7-game series with Orlando. Barely got away with it, but can't bring knives to gunfights against elite franchises in that environment. Worried about ball control this year for sure.
TRADE/ACQUISITION OF THE YEAR: Getting our pick back, I guess. Still want to prioritize development even with the pedal down.
REGRETS: Nets need a "weirdo." Didn't anticipate being that wild with Playoff DC changes - and it would've helped to have another weapon for close playoff series.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Luka. Diabolical season. He's inevitable, regardless of whether the analytics nerds should've chosen Wemby (probably) or SGA (probably not, sorry!) His playoff super-sub turn indicated a player who will age brilliantly. If we make the playoffs again this year, who knows how we'll use him... LOL
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rasheer Fleming. Had a critical defense & rebounding boost coming out of TC, which hopefully isn't fleeting. He's versatile and helps mitigate one of our core weaknesses: defensive playmaking.
MOST IMPROVED: Cooper Flagg. We saw the shooting improve, but also critically, the 3-year Handles freebie stuck.
SIXTH MAN: Darius Garland. He was our starting Point Guard when I joined. And what a full circle moment - if not totally advised - to have him chase Nolan Traore around for 7 games in the ECF. He's a great value due to his Emergency (or eff it YOU'RE STARTING) PG ability and probably-borderline-95 jump shot. We were undone by poor shooting in 2029-30, and part of the solution was right under our nose.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Nijaun Harris. Had a 21-year-old's inconsistency and his handles are a bit loose. However, he was drafted to sunset Mikal Bridges (happy trails) and showed a lot of promise at shooting guard. Helped expand our overall range - the offense was much better in the last 30 games.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Minus-27 turnovers in a 7-game series with Orlando. Barely got away with it, but can't bring knives to gunfights against elite franchises in that environment. Worried about ball control this year for sure.
TRADE/ACQUISITION OF THE YEAR: Getting our pick back, I guess. Still want to prioritize development even with the pedal down.
REGRETS: Nets need a "weirdo." Didn't anticipate being that wild with Playoff DC changes - and it would've helped to have another weapon for close playoff series.