The Nets won 41 games and lost 41 a year ago, and that aptly summarizes where they stand right now: stuck in the middle. Not quite good enough to be a contender, and not quite bad enough to think hard about blowing things up, the Nets’ season looks to be one of tempting stretches of quality, followed by predictable relapses toward mediocrity.

Of course, that’s just how it looks from the outside — any number of factors can crop up that would cause the Nets to either exceed or fall short of last season’s win total. That’s why they play the games. With that in mind, and tonight’s opener against Chicago looming (7:30 p.m., YES), I thought I’d take a slightly different approach in looking at the Nets’ season. Rather than telling you definitely what the good and bad would be, I thought to take a step back and look at some of the big-picture questions facing the Nets this season. How they’re answered will determine whether the team, this time, returns to contention, falls to the lottery or, most likely, lands somewhere in between.

Can Richard Jefferson bounce back? One of the biggest questions this season is if Jefferson can return to his former level. He suffered through ankle problems last season and put together a disappointing season, which was a major reason New Jersey failed to defend its Atlantic Division title.

Nets optimists are expecting the Jefferson of two years ago to reemerge, but I’m not sure it’s that simple. He depends heavily on his athleticism, so any lingering issues with the ankle will hold him back. Additionally, his durability has become a question. Last year was the second time in three years Jefferson has missed a big chunk of the season. Any hope of the Nets staying near the top of the Eastern pack depends on his staying in the lineup for 75 games.

How is Jason Kidd’s back?

Kidd played all but two games last year at age 33 and had one of his best pro seasons — but one has to wonder how long he can keep it up. Worryingly, he missed all but the final exhibition game due to a lower back injury. While he pronounced himself fine after his one preseason outing, 10 points and four assists in 30 minutes isn’t exactly resounding proof, especially when the team needs him at his triple-doubling best for 40 minutes a night in order to compete.

Making matters worse is that Kidd’s backups are very much lacking. 39-year-old Pacers castoff Darrell Armstrong has the gig until second-year pro Marcus Williams returns from injury. But even Williams won’t help much unless he figures out that the rules permit him to pass to one of the other four guys in Nets jerseys.

Will there be help in the frontcourt? The Nets got almost nothing from the frontline a year ago, save for an unexpected fluke year from Mikki Moore. Moore left for free-agent riches in Sacramento, but the return of Nenad Krstic from a knee injury has the team hopeful that they can get more production from the power forward spot.

At center, it’s not so simple. Though an elite defender, Jason Collins might be the worst offensive player in the league, and so the Nets spent the off-season trying to replace him. The best they could do was get the rapidly declining Jamaal Magloire, who can score a little from close range but has become one of the league’s slowest players.

The best hope for a real shift in production might be with the youngsters. Josh Boone comes off a promising rookie season in which he showed a knack for getting open around the basket and strong rebounding skills. While his passion and commitment have been questioned far and wide, if he can repeat last year’s numbers he’ll be the team’s most productive center.

Then there’s Sean Williams. The athletic rookie from Boston College can block shots and run the floor, two things that haven’t been seen from a Nets big man since Kenyon Martin left town. He’s still rough around the edges, but he played well in limited minutes in the preseason and could provide a much-needed energizer off the bench.

Was Boki a fluke? Bostjan Nachbar had done little in his career before breaking out last year with 42.3% 3-point shooting and 9.2 points per game off the bench. That had some wondering if his breakout year was a fluke — but based on his preseason, it seems it wasn’t. Nachbar led the Nets in scoring with 19.8 points per game, providing encouragement that he can be a productive sixth man at both forward spots this season.

Will Vince keep playing now that he’s been paid? Vince Carter has never been known as the most motivated guy in the league, so one has to wonder how hard he’ll compete now that he’s been rewarded with a shiny new five-year deal worth at least $66 million. If he returns to the passive, fade-away shooting Carter of his Toronto days, general manager Rod Thorn can reserve a seat in Secaucus for the lottery right now.

Does Thorn have another big deal in him? This applies no matter how the Nets’ season goes, and may be the biggest question of all. If the Nets turn out to be a clunker, it’s easy — he has to trade Kidd (just like he nearly did in February) and probably Carter too, and get what pieces he can to start rebuilding the team.

A more difficult proposition, however, is if the Nets look like they did last year: stumbling around .500, showing signs on some nights, and disappointing on others. At that point, it would be incumbent on Thorn to try to finagle the missing pieces — some guard help off the bench, perhaps, or a more credible starting center — that would make the Nets a more realistic contender.

That’s where he’s failed in the past couple years, and that’s why the Nets are in the situation they’re in right now. Thorn has shown an ability to hit the home run in deals for Carter and Kidd. But he hasn’t had nearly enough singles and doubles in between. Yet in the big picture, he’s the Nets’ best hope for contending this year. Most likely, this team isn’t good enough right now. But if Thorn can pull off some magic at the trade deadline, there’s still a chance the Nets can make some noise come May.

If not, expect another year of head-scratching average-ness. And when it’s all done, expect many more changes than we’ve seen the past two off-seasons.

jhollinger@nysun.com