Happy New Year! 2019, one way or another, figures to be a great year for the Nets. The Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, and Boston trades have functionally crippled this franchise for the better part of the decade. There is now light at the end of the tunnel.

The Nets are half a game out of the playoffs as of this writing. Brooklyn might be major players in the 2019 free agency derby. They will have their own first round pick for the first time since the Nets were in the ABA. Jarrett Allen has a generational ‘fro.

As we anticipate the positives to come in the year 2019, here are some resolutions for Brooklyn.

Be Honest with Yourself at the Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is February 7th. At that point in time, the Nets should have a much better understanding of how realistic their playoff odds are. Right now, FiveThiryEight is giving Brooklyn a 39% chance to sneak in.

Given the John Wall injury and looking at point differential for the Eastern conference, it would appear seven teams are very probable to make the playoffs, while Detroit, Brooklyn, and Orlando fight for the 8 seed. The Nets’ next 8 games are hosting New Orleans, at Memphis, at Chicago, at Boston, hosting Atlanta, at Toronto, hosting Boston, and at Houston. 2-6 is realistic during this stretch. In the remaining games before the trade deadline after traveling to Houston, the Nets will play Orlando three times.

If Brooklyn is right there they should go for it. If they are already out of it, they should refrain from making a short-term move in order to return to the playoffs. They should try to get the 8 seed without chasing it. And should they be out of it as February 7th approaches, a stealth tank would be appropriate to maximize their draft pick, as the plan is they will not be in the lottery for some time after this season. They should also explore opportunities to sell, bringing us to..

Gauge D’Angelo Russell’s Trade Value

Russell is getting a lot of attention for having the best season of his career. He really isn’t though. Russell is exactly the same player he always is. His FG%, 3P%, eFG%, and TS% are all where they typically fall. His assist rate is where it was last season. His points, assists, steals, and blocks per 36 minutes are nearly identical to last season as well.

His is doing better in perimeter defense, however, per our grading. He is posting an A- grade in the category, compared to his career grade of a B-. Even still, he has too many mental lapses of losing track of his man.

The Nets have committed to Spencer Dinwiddie, and the organization loves Caris LeVert. Given Russell’s assumed asking price come free agency, there is a good chance he will be taking his talents elsewhere. For this season, the Nets – should they find themselves in a seller position – should sniff around the league to see what they can get for him.

It probably won’t be much. It is rather similar to the Magic sending Elfrid Payton, a former lottery point guard, to the Suns for a second round pick. The Suns got essentially a free two month trial with a point guard, while Orlando got something instead of nothing for Payton.

Ironically, the team most in need of a point guard is the Suns. Once again, the Suns would get a free two month trial to see how Russell integrates into their young core. The Nets will get something, instead of seeing Russell walk in July for nothing.

Brooklyn also may want to recoup a second round pick after sending two second rounders to Charlotte in order to get off of the Mozgov contract.

Close Games with Jarrett Allen

Kenny Atkinson this season has decided to close games with Ed Davis. It makes sense in a world where the Nets want to win as many games as possible while chasing a playoff birth. But Allen is the future, not Davis.

Playing the young guy in crunch time is just going to have to be a part of the growing pains in 2019. He needs the experience. Missing the playoffs this year isn’t a failure, making them is just a nice perk. Brooklyn is looking to add max players this summer, and really roll into the 2019-2020 season as players in the East. Groom Allen as much as possible now so he is ready for that moment then.