The Nets second pick in the 2008 draft, Ryan Anderson will be thrown in the forward/center mix this season. But what should Nets fans expect from him on the court? In addition to discussing my own thoughts on the youngster in this post, I’ve also gotten a few scouting reports to see what everyone else thinks.

Enjoy!

Steve Lourie from AssociatedContent.com:

Ryan Anderson should be a good rebounder on the next level even though he’s not big. He’s a great passer for a big man. He can shoot really well and is deadly from the mid range area facing the basket. He’s not great with his back to the basket, turning around and shooting the jumper, but he can improve. He’s not a great natural athlete. He should be able to score fairly well in the NBA. Even though he is just 6-9, he has a Dirk Nowitski esque release point so his lack of height won’t hurt his shot.

They also say that if he develops the way he should, he’ll end up being a shorter Troy Murphy. If he doesn’t pan out, they see him as an Austin Croshere clone.

NBADraft.net:

NBA Comparison:Austin Croshere

Strengths: Prolific scorer with a wide array of offensive skills … A 6-10 forward with advanced inside/outside skills … Very effective facing the basket from 15-18 feet… Gets his shot off with ease with his height and quick release … Has tremendous range out past the college 3 point line and solid consistency … A tough match up on the college level with his ability to take bigs outside, and post up quicker forwards … A strong rebounder due to his length, toughness and positioning … Has an excellent feel for the game with solid passing ability and decision making … Has the ability to create offense for himself off the dribble … Uses spin moves and drop steps effectively … Never forces things, takes what the defense gives him … Dropped 15 pounds from his senior year in high school and has significantly improved upon his agility … Retains the toughness he developed playing center in high school … Gives great effort on both ends of the floor …

Jeff Fox on CollegeHoops.net:

Ryan Anderson has had a stellar collegiate career thus far but his game and body need more work for the NBA. Another year in college to work on his strength and defense would be his best bet, especially considering he isn’t a guaranteed first round pick at this point.

My thoughts:

While I love the comments from the first two sites and I believe that Anderson has the ability to be a good option off the bench, I totally agree with Fox in the fact that I think Anderson could fill out a little bit more. Right now, he’s rangy, which will help him move around and help on both ends of the court, but he lacks the size to survive the wear and tear of an NBA player that plays 20 plus minutes a game at this point. Nevertheless, I can’t say enough about his shooting ability and that is the reason why I think the Nets will let him get bumped around a bit in the early season. He’ll have some lessons to learn, but I think once his body catches up to his mind, he’ll eventually crack the starting lineup.

Photo by the University of California.

With camp starting in a few weeks, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the Nets rookie Brook Lopez, who along with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ryan Anderson, who could turn into the next “Big Three” if it all works out right.

After a great college career in Stanford that garnered him Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 (07), All-Pac-10 Freshman Team (07), McDonald’s All-American – high school (06) and Third Team Parade All-American (06) honors, Lopez will be expected to share power forward and center duties with Josh Boone, Sean Williams and maybe even fellow rookie Ryan Anderson.

Jeff Fox on CollegeHoops.Net did a great scouting report on Lopez before the draft that praises him for being a tough cookie in the post and having a sweet jump hook shot. He also talks about his size, which at seven feet is impressive and at only 20, can get even better. However, Fox, does a great job of pointing out that Lopez missed a bunch of games last season and may not have the polish he needs to thrive in the NBA right away.

MyNBADraft.com is a little bit more negative on the big guy, saying that Lopez needs to develop his offensive game, but also states that his size and athleticism should be in the NBA for the next eight to 10 years regardless of what he accomplishes.

Hopefully for Nets fans, he sticks around a little longer than that.

I on the other hand have a bit of a different opinion on Lopez. I believe that the youngster has the ability and the look of a future NBA star. Considering how the league is starved for talented and marketable seven footers that aren’t named Duncan, Lopez may have came into the league at exactly the right time.

However, he’ll have to develop his game and work extremely hard to be noticed on the Nets. Ryan Anderson is a damn good shooter and Sean Williams showed a ton of promise with his blocking ability last season. Speaking of promise, Josh Boone grew leaps and bounds as an all-around player last season and looks focused on remaining in the starting lineup. That means Lopez is going to have to play a well-rounded game and be someone the team can depend on.

It’s not going to be easy for him, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Photo by the Stanford Daily

When Devin Harris was originally traded to the Nets, many saw it as a new beginning for both him and the team.

Being the replacement to one of the greatest point guards in NBA history is no easy task however and while Harris’ play with the Nets was easily comparable to that of Kidd’s in Dallas the rest of the season, the team didn’t make the playoffs.

Making the playoffs every season while with Dallas, Harris is ready to bring the same type of success to the Nets this season.

Recently interviewed by the team’s official site Harris talked about the team’s offseason moves that will play a pivotal part in helping the team get back into the post-season.

“With anybody in the NBA, as far as veterans, you see what they are capable of doing and what they had been brought in for,” Harris told the Nets official site. “Keyon is a great energy guy that comes off the bench. He puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the ball; he can run a team up and down the floor. Jarvis Hayes, [is]obviously coming in to make shots; he’s a shooter. Najera, who I was a big fan of, is one of those dirty work guys; rebounding, defense and doing more of the physical game down low. Some of the rookies coming in I’ve seen a lot of. I watched a lot of Brook at Stanford. Ryan can make shots and CDR [Chris Douglas-Roberts] is more of an all around player. I see Bobby (Simmons) all summer long. We work out together all the time in Chicago.”

Where do I begin with this?

This guy is not only a student of the game, you can also tell that he’d make a great coach one day. Between watching college basketball enough to know his new teammates games and having no problem talking about the Nets new additions, it’s obvious that Harris is dedicated to a cause: building a successful team in New Jersey.

With more of an opportunity this season and more time to understand the workings of the Nets offense, I expect Harris to have a career year in 09 and to continue to prove anyone in the NBA wrong that thought he was just an extra piece in Dallas.

With Richard Jefferson in Milwaukee and Vince Carter getting on in years, Devin Harris is one of the new faces of the Nets and like Carter, will have to become a leader as well this season.

By the look of his comments on the team’s official site, that process has already begun.

Photo by NBA.com

Of the 16 players on the Nets roster right now, nine of them have less than two years experience at the pro level. Of the eight that have played significantly at the pro level, only Darrell Armstrong [a free agent who's chances of sticking with the team look very doubtful] and Vince Carter have ten years or more experience. Then you have a guy like Keith Van Horn, who is on the roster because he forgot to sign his retirement papers.

So considering all of this, what can Nets fans expect from this team this season?

As I’ve said in previous posts, Vince Carter is going to have to be a leader. He’s going to be asked to do everything he does on the court and them some, in addition to helping these kids, guys like Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts get their feet wet and get them to produce very quickly. If they don’t then they’ll get less time on the court and guys like Yi Jianlian, Josh Boone and Sean Williams will have to take center stage.

For a guy like Jianlian, who Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe has compared to Dirk Nowitzki, it’s time to prove the Nets got their monies worth when they dealt away their leading scorer Richard Jefferson a few months ago.

The same thing goes for Devin Harris, who now has an opportunity to be a leader and convince the pundits in the NBA that he’s more than a secondary scorer who doesn’t have the consistency to be a legitimate threat on both sides of the ball.

Josh Boone can continue to develop as a center and a guy who has become a much better shooter and rebounder since entering the league. Sean Williams can get back to the play he exhibited during the first half last season and be more than a guy who can stuff the ball down your throat if you give him an opportunity.

And if these guys manage to falter down the stretch, Keyon Dooling, Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes will get opportunities to get the playing time they haven’t gotten in other organizations.

Will it all work out in the Nets favor? It’s too early to tell to be honest, but it’s obvious that for the first time in a very long time, the Nets have options up and down the roster, instead of relying on the “big three.”

It’s going to be a different feeling for Nets fans this season, but it should be interesting to say the very least.