Breaking Down Brooklyn Nets' Shooting Guard Position for 2014-15 Season

Ever since the Brooklyn Nets left New Jersey two years ago, the team has generated a fair amount of buzz.

But no one ever seems to talk about the guy who has arguably been the Nets’ top player since settling in at Barclays Center: Joe Johnson.

The Nets acquired the 6’7” shooting guard from the Atlanta Hawks in the summer of 2012. After six All-Star appearances in a seven-year span with Atlanta, Johnson has not disappointed since he’s donned the black and white.

A year ago, Johnson quietly became Brooklyn’s go-to option in the wake of Brook Lopez’s season-ending foot injury, which occurred just 17 games in.

Johnson led the Nets with 15.8 points per night while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and carrying the team down the stretch of seemingly every close game.

In 2014-15, Johnson will be the Nets’ top shooting guard. But behind him, the team doesn’t really have a true 2-guard and will instead rotate guys such as Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown and Jarrett Jack in the backcourt.

Johnson is likely to do in 2014-15 what he’s done throughout his entire career—put up solid numbers and serve as an elite one-on-one player.

And even with Lopez returning, Johnson might still emerge as Brooklyn’s best overall player.

Grading Last Year’s SG Performance

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Even at 33 years old, Johnson is one of the top shooting guards in the Eastern Conference.

Though he’s looking up at DeMar DeRozan, Dwyane Wade and maybe Bradley Beal, Johnson’s ability to handle the rock and score from all areas of the floor puts him near the cream of the shooting guard crop.

Last season was no different—Johnson was honored with the seventh All-Star nod of his 13-year career. However, he played small forward for much of the year following Lopez's departure.

Former coach Jason Kidd plugged in a small-ball lineup that featured Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston in the backcourt, Johnson at small forward, Paul Pierce at the 4 and Kevin Garnett in the middle.

Williams was a serviceable 2-guard despite his never-ending battle with injuries to both ankles. No. 8 gave Brooklyn 14.3 points per night, the lowest total since his rookie year, despite missing 18 games due to injury.

Per 100 possessions, Johnson, Livingston and Williams had a point differential of plus-7.6 last season. That number was more than any other three-guard combination the Nets had in 2013-14.

Due to Kidd’s shrewd decision to throw traditional lineup configurations to the wind, it’s difficult pin down a grade for the Nets’ shooting guard play in 2013-14.

Livingston and D-Will combined for 22.6 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 boards per night last year. Those numbers would be remarkable for one guy, but they don’t impress here, based on the fact that two players were involved.

If Johnson, who started 46 games at forward and 33 at guard last season (via ESPN.com), is included in the equation, an assessment of the Nets' 2013-14 SG play looks a lot brighter.

Grade: B+

New Kids on the Block

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Livingston bolted for the Golden State Warriors this summer, but general manager Billy King managed to bring in Jack, Brown and Bogdanovic to help bolster the backcourt.

Jack, a 30-old-journeyman point guard, will primarily serve as Williams’ backup. Though he could see some time next to D-Will, it’s unlikely that Jack will have a role similar to Livingston’s in 2013-14. Lionel Hollins has proved to be a traditional coach and is unlikely to get quirky with his lineups.

Brown is an intriguing commodity at the 2. The 6’3” rookie out of Oklahoma State helped form an electric backcourt with Marcus Smart, averaging 17.2 points, 2.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds in his senior year.

Brown, while undersized, can jump through the roof and create shots for himself as well as his teammates.

He would need to improve his three-point shot in order to really get into the mix at shooting guard. In his final two years at OK State, Brown converted on 37.2 percent of his attempts from downtown, though it should be noted that Livingston attempted just six threes in 2013-14.

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Bogdanovic will be the newcomer likely to make the biggest impact on the Nets this season. An overseas star whose rights were acquired by Brooklyn three years ago, the 25-year-old swingman finally signed a deal after Livingston joined the Warriors this summer.

The 6’7” Bogdanovic put up 21.2 points in the World Cup, which was the second-best average in the tournament. While playing for Fenerbahce for the past three seasons, Bogdanovic averaged 14.5 points while leading the team to championships in the Turkish Basketball League and the Turkish Super Cup.

“I think he’s got great size, he’s also got great speed and quickness," Hollins said of Bogdanovic, per Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. "He can shoot the ball, but also put the ball on the floor. He can post up. I’m looking for players. Players that have multiple skills and are not just one-dimensional.”

Bogdanovic is a crafty scorer who mirrors Pierce in the way he pump-fakes and uses his body to get to the tin. Brooklyn appears to have made the right choice in letting The Truth walk this summer and instead opting to bring in the younger Turkish star.

While he’s likely to see the majority of his minutes at the 3, Bogdanovic could see some time at shooting guard in relief of Johnson and provide the team with some offensive explosiveness.

How It'll Look in 2014-15

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According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Hollins is already locked in on four starters: Lopez, Garnett, Johnson and Williams.

“Hollins is only giving us a little bit at a time,” Johnson said after Brooklyn’s first practice of the year, per Bondy. “I’m sure he’s not going to use anything from last year, and he had a system that worked well for them in his coaching years.”

Bondy also reported that Johnson, the team’s second-oldest player, has adopted a training routine that includes a daily yoga session:

"

The 33-year-old said his method was a daily routine of hot yoga, and — although he hasn’t stepped on a scale — Johnson said he feels as light as his early NBA years in Boston and Phoenix.

“That wasn’t my focus (to lose weight). I’m just a yoga-head. I’m a hot-yoga-head,” Johnson said. “Doing that, you lose anywhere from 600 to 1,000 calories per session.”

"

Iso Joe’s scoring ability and clutch gene will make life a whole lot easier for the Nets on the offensive end.

And when Johnson needs a breather, Hollins will have a handful of quality options at his disposal, the most explosive of which is Bogdanovic.

If Johnson can hold up—and history has shown that he’s as durable as they come—the Nets are going to be very strong at shooting guard in 2014-15.

All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference.