The Brooklyn Nets are less than one month away from the beginning of training camp for the 2025-26 NBA season and the starting lineup should be determined following camp. Assuming that Brooklyn will start guard Cam Thomas (assuming he re-signs), forward Michael Porter Jr, and center Nic Claxton, the Nets are expected to have the worst starting lineup in the league next season.
“It’s not going to be a fun year in Brooklyn. The Nets currently have just two players who actually deserve to be starters in their opening five and have yet to come to terms with restricted free agent Cam Thomas on a new deal,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote to explain ranking Brooklyn as the worst starting lineup. Swartz’s projected starting five for the Nets does not include Thomas, but does include Porter and Claxton.
“Rookie Egor Demin looks to be the team’s starting point guard even after putting up shaky shooting numbers during his freshman season at BYU,” Swartz continued. “Teenage guards typically struggle in the NBA. Porter’s efficiency will likely fall with no Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray to feed him the ball. Even Claxton is coming off a down year.”
To be clear, Swartz’s projected starting lineup for the Nets is guard Egor Demin, guard Terance Mann, Porter, forward Noah Clowney, and Claxton. However, when Nets Wire put together its projected starting five for the team for the first game of the season, the lineup was Demin, Thomas, Porter, Clowney, and Claxton. Ultimately, the difference is whether Thomas re-signs because his presence could make a huge difference to the effectiveness of the starting five.
In Swartz’s eyes, Brooklyn’s starting lineup will be competing with the likes of the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards for the worst starting units in the league. The Nets, along with the Jazz and Wizards, are expected to be some of the worst teams in the NBA next season so it makes sense that their starting lineups don’t get much regard. Anything can happen in training camp so Brooklyn’s starting five could surprise some people when the time comes.