Sports
Is Brook Lopez the Key to Turning the Nets Around?
Bleacher Report says unheralded center needs to be elevated to team leader.
A new column from Bleacher Report suggests that the key to the Nets righting the ship is the one piece that's been there all along: Brook Lopez.
Using a set of data from the first two weeks of the season, columnist Adam Fromal suggested Thursday that Nets center Lopez has actually been the lone bright spot on the team so far this year, on both offense and defense.
While Lopez has traditionally been thought of as a middle-of-the-road NBA center, effective from the floor but not a great defender or rebounder, his numbers so far this season suggest a great deal of growth.
According to Fromal, Lopez has been the most efficient offensive player on the team this season, and has elevated his defensive game to match some of the premiere players in the league.
In fact, he suggests, the swing in points allowed by the Nets when Lopez is off the floor indicate that he is putting up "defensive player of the year"-type numbers.
For the full analysis, take a look at the column on Bleacher Report here.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Is Lopez really the key to getting the Nets on track? Or is Brooklyn already lost?
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