Nets roster news: MarShon Brooks will have to work for 6th man spot

MarShon Brooks, the prolific scoring guard for the Nets, has not yet solidified his role as the first man off the bench for head coach Avery Johnson. Brooks emerged as one of the top rookies in the NBA last season, a tier below NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving and Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio. It was expected that he would continue to develop in his second season as the Nets' sixth man, but the Brooklyn head coach was non-committal about his role on Thursday (via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News):

"We're not sure yet," Johnson said. "We're not going to box ourselves in."

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"It's been a tough camp for him overall," Johnson said. "The players that he's playing against everyday they're just bigger and stronger."

Brooks was one of the few assets the Nets had during this busy offseason of trade talks, but they refused to include him in the deal with Atlanta for Joe Johnson. He undoubtedly has talent, and could be a real weapon off the bench because of his ability to fill it up quickly.

But he's been bothered by foot tendinitis, and is seeing his first preseason action on Thursday night against the Celtics. He just had a walking boot removed as he works to get over the tendinitis issue.

Brooks averaged 12.6 points in just under 30 minutes per game last season and is a valuable youngster who can be incorporated into the talented veteran roster that Johnson now has at his disposal.