The Brooklyn Nets had a somewhat interesting offseason this summer, acquiring Julius Randle in a salary dump trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and also parting ways with center Nic Claxton. The Nets are hoping to prove the doubters wrong this year and make some noise in an Eastern Conference that now suddenly seems to be the more potent of the two.

Recently, Randle spoke on his mindset heading into his first season with the Nets.

“Whatever your expectations are, whatever expectations that are put upon us, we’re gonna exceed them and we’re gonna do things at a very high level,” Randle said, per Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “We’re gonna build, come in with the right habits every single day, and we’re gonna do exactly that.”

Randle had some strong moments with the Timberwolves, but ultimately, his well-documented playoff shortcomings reared their ugly head once again this past year in a series against the San Antonio Spurs, prompting Minnesota to move on from him this summer.

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Randle spent a few years across the river with the New York Knicks, helping turn that franchise from a laughingstock back into a playoff team prior to the arrival of Jalen Brunson.

While his game might not translate perfectly into a playoff setting, Randle still figures to provide some strong veteran leadership, scoring, and toughness for a Nets team lacking in all three areas. He will also have a sharpshooting teammate in Michael Porter Jr. to help carry some of the offensive burden.

In any case, the Nets are slated to kick off their new season on October 21 at home vs the Charlotte Hornets.