2) Expect a perimeter player to start.
We spoke about this yesterday, but in short: Hollins expects the wing that flanks Joe Johnson to be a guard, rather than a small forward like Andrei Kirilenko.
This isn’t much of a surprise. Johnson and Williams are both comfortable shooting from three-point range; combined, the two shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc on 9.3 attempts per game last season. But Lopez and Garnett both get their points inside the arc, and the Nets could use a third shooter to space and balance the floor. Last year, the Nets usually had at least three three-point threats on the floor, which was a factor in Paul Pierce starting as a nominal power forward last season.
While Bogdanovic may be more talented — his NBA fit is still somewhat theoretical — Anderson may be a more natural fit. Anderson is a decent shooter from three-point range who can create off the dribble, and his presence alone helped space the floor and give the Nets room to operate in their crucial Game 6 and Game 7 victories over the Toronto Raptors in the first round of last year’s playoffs.
But he’ll also have to focus more on his shooting touch from outside: Anderson shot under 34 percent on the season and under 30 percent from the corners, normally a hotspot for off-the-ball wing players.
He has by no means won the job outright. Bogdanovic has earned rave reviews for his shooting in the team’s pre-camp scrimmages, and coach Hollins praised his all-around play. He’s not a rookie in the traditional sense: he’s played professional basketball in Europe since he was 15 years old, and has been one of Euroleague’s best players in recent years.
The adjustment for Bogdanovic will be shooting the NBA 3, which is longer than the Euroleague 3. Mirza Teletovic, another sharpshooter who made the transition from Euroleague to the NBA, said at media day that the three-point distance surprises everyone who comes over from Europe. If he can show Hollins he’s accustomed to the difference quickly, he may distance himself from the pack.
