The Nets are getting back to their roots.

After they changed their timeline — OK, had it forcibly changed for them — they’re getting back to a team that mirrors the Brooklyn borough they’re in. Gritty. On the grind. And under never-ending construction.

That was borne out over the past several days.

They didn’t chase veteran standouts like Bradley Beal or Kristaps Porzingis, and eschewed some older, more polished prospects in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Instead, they picked a pair of 18-year-olds in the first round — Alabama’s Noah Clowney and Duke’s Dariq Whitehead — who are the youngest and third-youngest respectively in team history.

“My kids are the same age as those two,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “You know how it is to give your child and have them trust and grow up in a different situation, different environment. So we pride ourselves on taking care of people, and we’re going to do that.

“These three [draftees] accomplished a bunch of things, but the toughness and the talent is undeniable.

“[At the end of the year], we talked about infusing some youth and re-establishing our culture. These three men…they’re simple dudes, high-character individuals. We want to re-establish who we want to be as an organization by having three individuals like this.”

Much of the culture that GM Sean Marks (and fired coach Kenny Atkinson) had so assiduously built in Brooklyn was either willingly allowed to erode or got outright torn down over the past two years.

The keys to the franchise got handed over to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and both ended up forcing their way out at February’s trade deadline. (It should be noted that the latter still maintains friendly relations with Marks and team owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, but didn’t want to sit through a rebuild after Irving left).

“Sean and I talked about keeping people in the building who want to be here, who fit being here in our building, who fit our culture,” Vaughn said. “It was designed that way with these three men. So whether they were 18 or [had spent five years in college], I don’t think it mattered. We had some people that we targeted, and fortunate enough that people were there that we liked.”

The departure of Irving and then Durant in February forcibly reset Brooklyn’s timeline. They’re no longer a star-studded team expected to win a title, but a rebuilding one that will look to work toward being a playoff contender.

Minutes after taking Kansas’ Jalen Wilson in the second round, Marks told the media that contention can come faster than most expect.

“Our timeline, we’re going to compete. That’s what we’re here for,” Marks said. “I’m not going to sit here and say we’re a contender overnight, but I think what we’ve shown [is] the ability as an organization to pivot and compete potentially quicker than probably we thought.”

Marks was unclear if that meant due to the emergence of potential star Mikal Bridges (who arrived as the centerpiece of the Durant trade), or because the replenished trove of draft assets will enable Brooklyn to bid on not just a veteran standout, but a superstar if they want.

Like, say, Portland’s Damian Lillard.

“I think you answered it for me; it’s a combination of all of the above,” Marks answered with a slight smile. “There’s a runway and a pathway where we see we can build something special here. That’s ultimately been the goal for this entire group since the day we all got here.

“No secret, we have our draft assets way out into the future, whenever we use them. Whether we draft young players or whether we trade them, who knows? We’ll be systematic in our approach. The good thing is we get to see these young men on the court and continue their development.”

And got to keep their proverbial powder dry, too, allowing them to remain in play for Lillard.

With the implosion of the Durant-Irving era, the Nets aren’t interested in chasing just any star, but only the right one. They appear to feel Lillard (more so than Beal or Porzingis) is just that, and opted against giving up trade chips to move up on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, everything they’ve said (and more importantly, done) since the day they dealt Irving points toward a return to their development roots.

Rather than deal Durant for an established, in-his-prime player with less upside and less accompanying draft capital — like, say, Jaylen Brown — they moved him for Bridges before the latter’s breakout, as well as Cam Johnson, four first-rounders and a swap.

Then there is the staff.

Virtually all the assistants on Vaughn’s newly-reconstituted staff are known for player development.

His lead assistant is Kevin Ollie, who coached UConn to an NCAA title and spent the last two years coaching Overtime Elite, where he mentored the Thompson twins into becoming top-5 picks Thursday.

Will Weaver, Jay Hernandez, Ronnie Burrell and Corey Vinson have development backgrounds, too, while holdover Adam Caporn is now the director of player development.

Starting center Nic Claxton, 24, is sure to be a focus for the group, as will teen forwards Whitehead and Clowney.

The latter has drawn comparisons to Claxton as a switchable big with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. And Whitehead is precisely the kind of upside play that helped Marks in his first Nets build. Just think Caris LeVert redux.

ESPN’s No. 2 overall preps prospect out of Montverde Academy, Whitehead was expected to play a year at Duke and become a top-10 pick. But like LeVert, foot injuries hampered him and required multiple surgeries. And like LeVert, he turned to Nets foot specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley for the one that finally worked, a revision operation with bone grafting for a fifth metatarsal Jones fracture.

“He will begin his rehab process in two weeks and should be ready for full participation at the start of NBA training camp,” Dr. O’Malley had said after performing the June 7 operation.

“We felt very comfortable with Dariq, the person he is,” Marks said. “We’re comfortable with his injury, we’re comfortable with bringing him back. If you look, sort of rewind a year, there’s a chance he was probably a lottery pick. So in order to get a guy like that [to] fall to us, fantastic. We’ll take it.”

And they’re comfortable waiting to develop him, the youngest player taken in the first round, or in Nets history, a pick that got A grades from The Ringer and other outlets. (Clowney is the third-youngest Net by a day),

Brooklyn didn’t have to trade up to get either, or sacrifice future picks or valued swingmen Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith. All are still available to make a play for Lillard if the star asks out following Portland’s decision to hold onto the No. 3 pick Thursday rather than get him immediate veteran help.

Lillard hadn’t had any recent communication with Portland involving the draft, free agency or his future as of Friday per TNT and Bleacher Report.

GM Joe Cronin claimed he didn’t think he was going to lose Lillard.

“No, I don’t. I think Dame badly, badly wants to win and he’s probably being more vocal about that than ever,” Cronin said. “But I don’t look at that as a negative. I look at that as he’s passionate about this, it matters deeply to him and it matters deeply to us. He’s bought in, he wants it to work here and he’s challenging us to get it done.”

But if they can’t, Lillard might be the one to get the Nets back into the star-hunting business. Otherwise, they’re clearly back in the development game. The past several days are the proof.