1 of 7

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Vegas O/U: 27.5 wins

Shock Potential: 38 wins, in playoff contention

If you ever need a clean-up crew to handle a colossal mess, see if Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks is available.

The shrewd executive—groomed by the San Antonio Spurs—has done a masterful job of building with limited resources. By renting cap space and keeping active in the trade market, he has given (relative) optimism to a previously hopeless franchise. And through the hiring of head coach Kenny Atkinson, Marks helped usher in an outside-the-box offense designed to make the whole greater than the individual parts.

Will any of that make the Nets good this season? The odds are super-slim to none. But they may not be the punching bag they've been the past two years.

Even without a No. 1 option, Brooklyn keeps constant pressure on opposing defenses. No one played at a faster pace last season and only three teams launched more threes. And the Nets are better equipped now to capitalize on those chances.

With a healthy Jeremy Lin and former No. 2 pick D'Angelo Russell, Brooklyn has two attacking guards who can orchestrate the offense. Allen Crabbe could be a welcome supply of spacing, while DeMarre Carroll might scratch an itch for perimeter defense. Timofey Mozgov is limited, but at least he puts a big body on the back line of Brooklyn's 23rd-ranked defense.

The youth collection isn't great, but it's more promising than it has been, especially if Russell can properly develop his wealth of offensive talents. And while none were lottery picks, there's intrigue in the likes of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Caris LeVert, Isaiah Whitehead and rookie first-rounder Jarrett Allen.

Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post wrote in July:

"The presence of those young talents will make Brooklyn a watchable team next season in a way they weren't for much of the past 17 months. And the presence of veterans alongside them...will allow the Nets to have a puncher's chance of finishing several spots higher than the third-worst record in the NBA they had two years ago and the league-worst 20-62 mark they had last season."