Entering the season, the Nets were labeled a title contender for several reasons.
It began with the acquisition of aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the addition of Andrei Kirilenko and the presence of the star-studded backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
Somehow, the team’s lone All-Star last season, Brook Lopez, was a forgotten man.
Through four games, however, the soft-spoken Lopez has reminded everyone how valuable he can be. Lopez has been indisputably the Nets’ best player and the focal point of the offense.
The 7-footer is averaging 20.5 points, six rebounds and three blocks per game after dominating the Jazz in Tuesday night’s 104-88 rout at Barclays Center, scoring 27 points and adding seven rebounds.
Lopez is known for his fast starts, made easier with the newfound firepower surrounding him. He had 20 points in the opening half, hammering the Jazz in the paint with quick, decisive post moves and his soft touch around the hoop.
“I just wanted to try to come out strong, give our guys a good energy, and hopefully continue it throughout the game and give us something to ride on,” Lopez said.
It was easier for the opposition to double-team him last year and force the other Nets to beat them. But when those other Nets are Pierce, Garnett, Williams and Johnson — each a former All-Star — there really is no recipe to stop him.
“Teams will live with Brook playing one on one. He can have an awesome year,” Johnson said.
Lopez has worked tirelessly on passing out of the post when those double-teams come and had two assists against Utah.
“Brook has gotten a lot better passing the ball out of double teams,” Williams said. “He’s going to continue to get better and [Tuesday] was a testament to that.”
The general consensus when Garnett came aboard was the intense leader would make Lopez a better player and turn him into more of a physical force at both ends of the floor. Some have described Lopez as soft, but Garnett doesn’t see his new teammates in that light. Poise comes to mind, the future Hall of Famer said, after the win over the Jazz.
“He’s a real chill person, but he has a fire,” Garnett, the 19-year NBA veteran, said. “He plays really, really poised basketball. He’s never rattled. Seems to be always under control … very, very strong.”
The 25-year-old Lopez has impressed so much with his ability to finish in the paint, Garnett said, “It’s probably the best I’ve seen in the league in a while.”
Coming off his first All-Star appearance, Lopez entered training camp weighing around 290 pounds, 10 more than he weighed last season, and feeling the strongest he has entering a season in his sixth NBA campaign. He has shown no signs of problems with his right foot, on which he has had three operations, including one in June when he had a screw in the foot replaced. He suffered a minor ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss in Orlando, but that didn’t limit him Tuesday.
“I just worked on getting good position and my guys got me [the ball] when I was right around the basket,” he said. “They got me easy looks and I just had to go up strong and try to finish.”