SEND US A SIGN
Nets have 28 games left to show who they are, for better or for worse
The Nets have zero presence at NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. No “Rising Stars”. No players set to compete in the skills challenge, 3-point contest or slam dunk showcase. And when some of the league’s best talent gathers inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening, not a single Brooklyn player will be featured on the Eastern Conference’s roster.
All-Star Weekend, in essence, is supposed to be a celebration of individual and team success for those fortunate enough to be a part of it. Head coach Jacque Vaughn and his Nets have not had much to celebrate in a while now. They will appropriately spend this special weekend far from the festivities.
Brooklyn (21-33) has six days until its final stretch of the regular season begins in Toronto on Feb. 22. This team has plenty of soul searching to do in the time in between. Because as bad as things have been for the franchise since December, it is not out of the postseason race just yet.
Brooklyn is still in control of its own narrative. Some of the things it wants to accomplish this season is still within reach.
These final 28 games will send a message to the rest of the NBA, for better or worse. The Nets can still decide what kind of team they want to be.
“A lot of sh– is not right and you have to fix it,” said Mikal Bridges following Brooklyn’s 50-point loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
One of the biggest issues the Nets have had to overcome this season is a myriad of injuries. Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas, Dorian Finney-Smith, Day’Ron Sharpe, Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV have all had to miss significant time at one point or another. Bridges is the only player who has appeared in all 54 games.
Johnson’s return from a four-game absence on Wednesday was important because it meant Brooklyn’s roster was the healthiest it had been since opening night in October, minus Simmons, who sat out the second game of the team’s back-toback set. The entire roster should remain healthy entering their next game after the
All-Star break. Somehow sustaining that will be a major factor if the team were to finish the regular season on a high note.
“Yeah, I wish it wasn’t illegal to practice [during the All-Star break],” Vaughn said. “I would definitely try to practice during that time. But I’m just going to be simple and thankful that we’re getting guys back. And hopefully we’ll get to a position where we are whole, and we come out of the break ready to make a push.”
The Nets also have to learn how to play together. Simmons and Dennis Schröder should be featured more heavily down the stretch, but Simmons has just now reached the point where he is able to play extended minutes post injury and Schröder has played only three games in a Brooklyn uniform.
Both guys are lead ball handlers, the Nets’ primary facilitators. The team should improve at both ends of the court as they increase their level of comfort in the minutes they receive. The only problem is, they do not have much time to figure it out.
The Nets are 6-6 with Simmons in the lineup this season and 15-27 without him.
“It’s a totally different game for everybody when [Ben] is out there,” Nic Claxton said. “We’re playing fast. He’s getting guys open looks in transition. Just the overall flow of our offense [is better]. And then having a new point guard with Dennis, not knowing as many of our sets, but we can’t make excuses, we just have to regroup.”
The Nets rank 19th in offensive efficiency (114.5) and 21st in defensive efficiency (116.8) at the break. They are eighth in rebounding (44.4) and sixth in 3-pointers made per game (13.8).
“It’s more than just offense,” Claxton said. “They score way too many points; they score too easy. So, it’s also defense, just making it tougher for them.
Brooklyn has lost 18 of its last 24 games and is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. However, the team is just 2.5 games behind the 10th place Atlanta Hawks for the fourth and final spot in the Play-In Tournament. The Nets will face the Hawks for the final two times this season on Feb. 29 and March 2.
“Everybody can go now to vacation, see family, get their energy back, regroup,” Schröder said. “Then we still have a mission to make the playoffs.”