Brooklyn Nets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Brooklyn Nets power forward Trendon Watford is being evaluated for a hamstring injury. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has announced that several players are dealing with hamstring issues before the start of preseason, and Watford is among them. Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) has already been ruled out for Tuesday's preseason opener, and Watford could join him on the sidelines along with Day'Ron Sharpe (hamstring). Watford played well to close out the season last year, but he was limited to only 13.6 minutes per game across the campaign. A good preseason would help Watford in a battle for a regular spot in the rotation, but unfortunately, he's dealing with an injury even before the action has started.

Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe is under evaluation for a hamstring injury. The Nets have already ruled out starting center Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) for Tuesday's preseason opener and could be without another big man. Sharpe has been stuck behind Claxton in Brooklyn but played a fairly prominent role for the team in 2023-24. He averaged 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes. Similar levels of productivity can be expected from Sharpe in the upcoming campaign.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will not play in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Clippers. He is dealing with hamstring soreness. It looks like Claxton could be limited throughout the preseason, but it doesn't sound like it's a serious issue for him, and there's a good chance Claxton will be fully ready for the regular season. The Nets begin the campaign on Oct. 23 versus Atlanta. Brooklyn will expect big things from Claxton in 2024-25 after signing him to a four-year, $100 million extension in the summer.

Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies this off-season and has prepared to earn some more opportunities to be on the floor. The former 10th overall pick said that he felt like "a loose bird finally let out of his cage" when he was traded. He also went on to say that he felt trapped at times with the Grizzlies as he struggled to get on the floor that often throughout his three seasons with the team. While the Nets are in rebuild mode, Williams should receive plenty of opportunities to prove whether or not he deserves to be on the floor after they traded away Mikal Bridges and now have one of the younger teams around the league. In 150 total appearances (50 starts) for the Grizzlies, Williams averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 19.6 minutes per game.

Free agent guard Killian Hayes is on his way to Brooklyn after agreeing to an Exhibit 10 deal to try to find his way on the Nets' roster. The former seventh-overall pick has been looking for a new home after being waived by the Detroit Pistons. Hayes was still on his rookie deal and saw a decrease in stats across the board before he was let go. Through his first four seasons, Hayes averaged 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 turnovers per game with shooting splits of .382/.277/.775. If Hayes can't prove that he's grown in shooting efficiency and ball security, then he won't likely stick on an NBA roster. Brooklyn will be one of his best opportunities as they've started the rebuild after trading away Mikal Bridges this offseason.