23-year old center Brook Lopez picked up his offensive game a bit last year but at the cost of his rebounding. The Nets want him to get back under the basket in 2011-12 and play tougher around the rim. Lopez played in 82 games (all starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 35.2 minutes, 20.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 246 games (all starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 34.2 minutes, 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. 25-year old Johan Petro will backup Lopez in 2011-12. Petro played in 77 games (1 start) for the Nets last year and he averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 383 games (121 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 15.6 minutes, 4.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

The Nets need more offensive production out of the small forwards in 2011-12. 24-year old Damion James will likely be the starter here when the season opens. He played in 25 games (9 starts) as a rookie last year before injuring himself. James played in 25 games (9 starts) last year for the Nets and he averaged 16.1 minutes, 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 27-year old Travis Outlaw was a huge disappointment in his first year with the Nets. He played in 82 games (55 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Outlaw has now played in 482 games (87 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 22.9 minutes, 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

26-year old Anthony Morrow will likely win the starting job at shooting guard for the Nets once again in 2011-12. Morrow played in 58 games (47 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 194 games (101 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 27.8 minutes, 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Morrow is shooting 44.7% from three-point range in his NBA career, so he is a serious weapon from long range. 22-year old rookie, first round pick Marshon Brooks will likely backup Morrow at shooting guard this year. He averaged 24.6 points per game last year at Providence, so he can put the ball in the basket and he projects to be a starter down the road for the Nets. 29-year old Stephen Graham is likely #3 in line at shooting guard for the Nets in 2011-12. Graham played in 59 games (28 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 3.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 239 games (43 starts) so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 12.2 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

27-year old starting point guard Deron Williams is the star the Nets are going to build their team around. Williams played in 65 games (all starts) for the Nets & Jazz last year and he averaged 37.9 minutes, 20.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has now played in 451 games (418 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 35.7 minutes, 17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. 24-year old Jordan Farmar will be Williams’ caddy in 2011-12. He played in 73 games (18 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 24.6 minutes, 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Farmar has now played in 374 games (20 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he has averaged 19.4 minutes, 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

45-year old head coach Avery Johnson was a winner as a player and now he’s one as a head coach. The Nets were 12-70 last season so Johnson will have a lot of work to do. He has a 194-70 (73.5%) record during the regular season as a head coach and he is 23-24 (48.9%) during the post season. The Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals 4 games to 2 with Johnson as the head coach in 2005-06 so he know how to win. The Nets turned over half the roster bringing in some decent talent so I can easily see them approaching 30 or more wins this year under Johnson who will be the coach that gets the Nets back to the playoffs but he’s going to need a little time.