The Brooklyn Nets are ready for the start of a new NBA season, and they should be looking to have some fun. 

After spending the past few years being one of the worst teams in the league, the Nets are hoping to flip the script a bit and make it back into the postseason. With offseason acquisitions, headlined by Julius Randle, the Nets have a legitimate shot to sneak their way into the play-in picture and be this season’s surprise squad. 

With the depth of the Eastern Conference arguably at its best in recent memory, the Nets’ road back to the postseason will be anything but easy. With that goal in mind, the Nets’ season could easily turn at different points, and the grind of an 82-game slate could become troubling. 

While there’s no way around the fact that 82 games is simply a lot, the Nets can work around getting too caught up in the standings. Still expected by many to be among the worst teams in the league, the Nets don’t have anything to worry about externally.

In fact, it may end up being quite easy to exceed their expectations, assuming the team can stay healthy and build upon the foundation set by Jordi Fernandez. Still, that would be a matter of the Nets focusing too much on their wins and losses, rather than approaching every matchup with a consistent mindset. 

The foundation in Brooklyn is still being set, and the Nets can’t expect to start building too high yet. Instead, the Nets should be able to come into each matchup with an expectation of playing their brand of basketball and having fun doing so. 

If the Nets end up being out of the postseason race again next season, that shouldn’t be anything too discouraging. Being an uncompetitive team overall would be a reason for concern, but if the Nets can play to their strengths and bring a consistent effort throughout the season, they shouldn’t worry too much about wins and losses. 

As the Nets get set to open their season on Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, it’s important that they employ that mindset early. With a tough early schedule, the Nets need to take more out of their matchups than the result. 

If wins come, that would be great for Brooklyn, but losses shouldn’t be crushing to start the year. The Nets are a young team that should be fun to watch throughout the season, and finding ways to enjoy playing early in the year could set the table for a successful campaign.