Over the next month, we will be previewing every team in the NBA. Here is the next installment of our series as we examine the Brooklyn Nets.

2014-15 Record: 38-44

Notable Acquisitions: Andrea Bargnani (FA), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Draft), Thomas Robinson (FA), Shane Larkin (FA)

Notable Departures: Deron Williams, Mason Plumlee, Alan Anderson, Mirza Teletovic

Temperature Check:

With Deron Williams now plying his trade in Dallas, it’s the beginning of a new era in Brooklyn. For a Nets' team lacking future assets, there is no use for a rebuild. Instead it will be up to an aging Joe Johnson and oft-injured big man Brook Lopez to keep Brooklyn in playoff contention.

Inside the Playbook:

The absence of Williams will likely signal a major shift in Brooklyn’s offensive approach. The Nets used several sets last year where Williams operated in screening situations both on and off the ball. The actual concepts or sets head coach Lionel Hollins utilized last season may stay in place, but the focus will now shift to the interplay between the teams newly re-signed frontcourt starters: Lopez and Thad Young.

In a league where 5’s are asked to be dynamic roll men and 4’s are essentially an extra wing player that stretches the defense, the Nets starters are rather atypical. Young can shoot (and kind of make) 3’s -- 33 percent on 1.5 attempts per game last year -- but is hardly a true stretch floor. Lopez, meanwhile, can have his rolls to the rim timed with a sundial and in transition, often finds himself in the trail big spot ideally reserved for a perimeter-savvy big.

This causes the Nets offense to function a bit different than most. Instead of a set pattern, where Young and Lopez always move to a certain spot in the early stages of the offense, Hollins allows them to simply read their positions on the floor and move accordingly. When Young is ahead on the break, Lopez settles into the trail spot and looks to either screen for the ballhandler or get into reversal/hand-back situations (that let him make choices with a pass or a dribble) with a perimeter player on either side. If/when Lopez sets a screen and pops or (slowly) rolls to the basket, Young works the baseline, usually going opposite Lopez to open up a path behind the play. It looks something like this:

Then in the more rare instances where Lopez is the first big down, it triggers a new set of reads and allows Young to positioning himself on the perimeter. From that spot on the floor, Young usually looks to catch and drive downhill quickly, looking to attack the rim for either a layup, floater or, in the case of the next video, a foul.

And for Young and Lopez, their subtle interplay also occurs in the halfcourt. In these situations, Young will usually be lower on the floor, whether it’s diving to the rim (whether he’s a screener in the play or not) or positioning himself on the baseline for drop-off passes from a penetrating ball handler.

The idea is that the skilled Lopez, whose mid-range jumper is a more accurate weapon, is a far greater threat to defenses when he’s higher on the floor. After all, Lopez shoots the ball well enough from that distance -- 42.2 percent from 16-24 feet per NBA.com data -- that he can actually (relatively) punish opposing defenses content to give up those mid-range 2’s. Young has improved in that area, but still isn’t efficient enough from the mid-range (and let’s face it, outside of Dirk Nowitzki, Steph Curry and a handful of others, not many guys are) to make opponents lose a wink of sleep at the thought of him taking a high volume of shots from 15-20 feet.

Being lower on the floor allows Young to exploit space with his excellent cutting ability and keep defenders occupied, just in a different area and way than a typical stretch 4. After coming over in trade late in the season, Young will enter this year with a full training camp together with Lopez and Hollins, something that should only enhance their understanding of each other on the court. And with Williams gone, Brooklyn will need their two big men to pick up the slack.

Lineup to Watch:

Jarrett Jack-Bojan Bogdanovic-Joe Johnson-Thaddeus Young-Brook Lopez

There will be plenty of lineups in that space that will be there for their potential excitement or production. This Nets lineup makes the grade because it will likely be the one Brooklyn fans see a lot of -- possibly as a starting and finishing quintet -- now that Williams is gone.

It won’t be this group’s first rodeo either. Those five did play 34 minutes together during the regular season and were outscored by three points over the course of that time. They also, perhaps predictably, struggled defensively. Yet before using that as a precursor for mediocrity, it’s interesting to note that the same five also demolished the Hawks in the postseason, going an incredible +23 in 17 minutes.

Obviously this is where I point out the sample sizes are ludicrously small and it’s pretty impossible to read too much into either of them. That said, the defensive struggles will likely persist as this group plays more together. After all, Johnson’s age, Bogdanovic’s foot speed (or lack of it), Jack’s attention span and Lopez’s statuesque movement are not foundational aspects for great defense. Offensively they should be a bit better, particularly Jack’s 3-point percentage creeps closer to Golden State level and Johnson can be content as high-volume, spot-up shooter.

But the key for Hollins will be monitoring this group’s lineup data and being willing to pull the plug on it after extended run shows it to be a counterproductive endeavor -- an analytics savvy move that the Nets head coach isn’t exactly known for. And if Hollins stubbornly sticks to this group, arguably his five most talented/trusted players, despite middling production, it will make for a long season in Brooklyn.

Team Atlas:

Brook Lopez

Fresh off signing a big new contract, this team, now more than ever, will go as Lopez goes. Without even mentioning a single stat, the most important part of Lopez’s game for Brooklyn, is that he’s available to play them. The 72 games (plus playoffs!) he appeared in is a hopeful sign that the foot injuries that have plagued his career are behind him. Should Lopez miss extended time in this season or subsequent ones, it will make life more difficult for the Nets on the court.

Lopez’s on/off splits from last year -- the Nets were a point better per 48 minutes when he was on the floor -- are a bit misleading due to the constant roster shuffling and the fact that Mason Plumlee, no matter where you stand on his talent or value, was coming off the bench behind him. Combined with that fact that Lopez’s productive post game -- he was 17th out of 71 players with at least 100 attempts, per Synergy data -- meshes well with Hollins old-school approach and it’s not hard to see what a boost his evolution could have for a franchise with limited assets.

If Lopez can make small strides as a defender, stay healthy and continue to establish himself as one of the league’s premier post up bigs, it will not only save the Nets from an embarrassing season, but help make the franchise a viable destination for marquee free agents over the next two summers.

Coach’s Question:

Will Hollins be creative enough with his rotation to develop a solid bench?

With an underwhelming set of options at his disposal and his sixth man (Jack) likely usurping the vacant starter’s role at point guard, it’s hard to imagine Brooklyn’s reserve units doing much of anything productive. On top of that, a few players likely to play have contrasting skill sets to some of the starters. Thomas Robinson has same limitations -- poor outside shooter, small for his position -- as Young. Andrea Bargnani and Lopez would be death to any defense. Wings Markel Brown and rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would kill offensive spacing. And the list goes on.

In order to overcome these limitations, Hollins will probably need to script his lineups and focus on hybrid lineups that combine select starters with bench players that complement their games. Again, Hollins has the reputation as an old-school “coach by feel” type rotation management, so follow a strict, pre-planned program, even if it ensures avoiding counter-productive overlaps, may not be in his wheelhouse. But as we watch this season, we’ll see if an old dog has learned a new trick.

Best Case Scenario:

41-41 If….

Lopez stays healthy, Hollins is able to salvage what could be a woeful bench unit with clever rotation management and Brooklyn cobbles together a respectable defense despite Bargnani in a position to play decent minutes in the team’s frontcourt.

Worst Case Scenario:

25-57 If….

Johnson’s production falls off a cliff and/or he gets traded. The point guard position proves to be a major eyesore. Lopez misses a large chunk of time with injuries and any semblance of bench depth never materializes.

Click here for a full list of NBA Season Previews from Brett Koremenos.