The Brooklyn Nets are still yet to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy since moving over to the NBA. With the Knicks capturing a title, the pressure from the fan base is rising. Newly acquired Julius Randle believes that this team can get there.
The Brooklyn Nets had to sit back and watch as their Big-Apple rival New York Knicks went on to win the NBA Championship last season.
"Every year, some team is going to win a championship," Nets Owner Joe Tsai told NetsDaily. "So it happens that this year, that team is in the same city. It doesn't make us feel very good. It irates our fan base and it is embarrassing."
The Nets have not won an NBA title since moving over from the ABA, having lost back-to-back appearances in 2002 and 2003.
As the team looks to get back to a competitive level high enough to contend for a championship, Tsai and the Nets' front office made some significant swings to do so.
Bringing in former NBA All-Star forward Julius Randle is the most notable, as the former Knick brings a level of winning experience and physicality to Brooklyn's roster.
At Brooklyn's media day, Randle was asked about his former squad winning the title, to which he responded "It was a great thing not just for them, for the city...We plan to do the same thing here."
Randle posted his best statistical seasons with the Knicks during his tenure (2019-2024), averaging north of 25 points per game in the 2022-2023 season.
He was eventually dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the 3-team trade that landed Karl Anthony-Towns in New York.
Now, he returns to the Mecca with a different franchise, and has been very confident in the Nets' ability to turn things around.
As training camp kicks off, Randle credited the Nets for the structure and intensity thus far.
"I'm in my 13th year in the league, and this is the training camp that ranks up there," Randle said. "How we do things, the attention to detail, the communication within drills. And when we get to the live action, how we're competing, how we're talking, guys diving on the floor, offensive rebound, all those different things, little things that help us win games."
This type of intensity is extremely positive to see so early into training camp, especially with the admitted lack of focus by some players towards the end of last season.
For Randle, who gives Brooklyn another shot creator and ball handler, he believes that the team can far exceed the low expectations placed upon them.
Rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., the Nets' top draft pick from this year, said one of the first things that Randle talked to him about was "shocking" the NBA world and getting out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.
With Randle's multi-faceted offensive game, the Nets have quickly gotten very versatile on the offensive end.
