Brooklyn is nothing if not diverse. And the NBA team that calls it home reflects just that.
The international imprint is everywhere on the Nets. It’s among players: There are three non-U.S. Olympians. It’s on coaches: Head coach Kenny Atkinson played and coached overseas and assistant Chris Fleming is the head coach of the German national team. The front office wears it: General manager Sean Marks was a two-time Olympian for New Zealand. And in case you wondered, that’s a Russian, not Brooklyn, accent for owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
So it is more than coincidence the Nets are rich in guys with international experience. Newcomers Luis Scola (Argentina) and Greivis Vasquez (Venezuela) plus holdover Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia) are headed to the Olympics.
Marks is thrilled. He came to the Nets from San Antonio where, suffice to say, international players contributed under coach Gregg Popovich.
“I always loved the flavor of having international guys on the team. I loved what it meant for Coach Popovich, how he used those guys and not only on the court,” Marks said. “It was off the court how those guys really helped build that culture.”
Marks noted how Popovich had international players “bring the team closer” at dinners and pregame meetings by talking about their experiences.
“I saw it firsthand,” Marks said.
But it wasn’t just talk. There was style of play.
“The ball moves, guys make the extra pass, everybody can shoot,” Marks said. “It’s really valuable those guys come back and show [younger players] what they learned overseas.”
The Nets will introduce six new faces Wednesday, including first-round pick Caris LeVert. They also will present free-agent signees Jeremy Lin (he sort of has an international following), Anthony Bennett (Canadian national team), Trevor Booker, Justin Hamilton (played in Spain) and Joe Harris. Scola and Vasquez are with their national teams and another free agent, Randy Foye, had a prior commitment.
The Nets are an intriguing age mix. Just Scola (36) and Foye (32) have hit their 30th birthdays. Chris McCullough (21), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (21), draft picks LeVert (21) and Isaiah Whitehead (21) plus Bennett (23) and Harris (24) are virtual newbies. Yeah, Scola, Vasquez and Bogdanovic have some leading ahead.
“We didn’t plan on, ‘Look, we need to get three Olympians,’ ” Marks said. “When we did sit down, there was no secret we wanted to add an international flavor to the team.”
For diversity, experience and leadership. And Marks loves the potential of Scola, a four-time Olympian who won gold in 2004, and Vasquez as leaders.
“Those guys are tough-minded competitors who fought through everything to get where they are,” Marks said. “I love how professional they are. They’re great leaders, not necessarily vocal leaders but in how they conduct themselves. … High-character individuals. They’re going to be great models for younger guys.”
Along with Bogdanovic, who has excelled with Croatia.
“[In] other countries, playing for your country is a much bigger deal than playing in the NBA,” Marks said. “Bojan had a tremendous pre-Olympic campaign. His confidence right now is through the roof because he’s taken Croatia, they’ve qualified for the Olympics and he’s been the leader.
“To represent your country, wear your country’s colors and have the ball in your hands and you’re the one making those decisions, that really helps,” Marks said.
There is hope for Bennett, the former No. 1-overall pick who will be with his fourth team in four seasons for assorted reasons, including injury. Maybe it clicks in Brooklyn. Bennett slimmed down this summer working with the Nets and Team Canada, which failed to qualify for the Olympics.
“We were paying very close attention to him. He’s a guy who really needs his confidence to grow,” Marks said. “He’s still very raw. He’s got a better opportunity to really play with us and help this team. … A lot of it is going to be up to Anthony himself to figure it out, to put in the time to make the most of this opportunity. For us this really was a risk worth taking.”
No one claims the Nets will emulate the Spurs in ring ceremonies, but the goal is setting groundwork so the path at least leads to the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I don’t know that we look at win-loss as goals,” said Marks, who added his realistic aim is to observe “progress” and “development” this season. “This group will compete night-in, night-out. It will be demanded.”
And they should find direction from guys who have seen and endured the process on different continents.