The games really matter for the Nets starting on Wednesday with their season opener against the Hornets in Charlotte. But, in truth, this is when the losses really begin to count.

The Nets essentially have a pair of prime directives for the coming season. One is to develop the five first-round draft picks they selected in June — which included a trio of point guards headlined by the No. 8 overall selection Egor Demin from BYU. The other, which looms as more important, is to lose enough to land a premier position in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The class that’s coming out could have three or four players who could be transformative to the rebuilding effort the Nets have undertaken.

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and, if he applied for the draft, Tennessee’s Nate

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