Looming Nets Questions As Training Camp Commences
NBA Media Day, theoretically, is the time for the public to get answers to the most pressing questions about the upcoming season.
The reality is that honesty is not encouraged in these sessions. I’ll never forget Kevin Durant giving the presence of former Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson as the principal reason why he chose Brooklyn as a 2019 free agent. Atkinson was shown the door about six months later, with Durant, who took a sabbatical that season to recover from Achilles surgery, allegedly advocating for the change.
For Nets Media Day 2024, the players unanimously proclaimed that their club, for whom Las Vegas has offered the lowest over/under win total (19.5) since the Process Sixers, will surprise people this season. What else are they supposed to say? That they’re all aboard the tank set up by management following the July trade of their best all-around player Mikal Bridges?
No matter how hard the fall from relevancy gets, diehard Nets fans still have an interest in this season’s progression. And they have questions. Though we’re going to have to wait until we watch the games to find out the truth, here’s what I would have asked if I had the opportunity during Monday’s Nets Media Day:
1) In what areas does Cam Thomas think he can improve defensively?
If nothing else, the fourth-year guard has all the confidence in the world in his ability to score. He said as much when he pointed to how often he gets double-teamed when asked about having the league’s respect. It’s true, but as much as the opposition pays attention when the 22.5 ppg scorer has the ball in his hands, they also salivate when they can get him matched up against their own ballhandler, either straight up or through switches. Per NBA.com, Thomas ranked 47th among the 57 guards who averaged at least 30 minutes per game in defensive win shares last season, with his opponents shooting 2.7% better than their averages when he was the nearest defender. Thomas’ work off the ball was also far from exemplary, though Brooklyn’s defensive understanding was such a mess last season that even the highly-regarded Bridges looked lost many times. In order to maximize his value, be it with a new contract after this season or in the eyes of legitimate contenders looking at him in a potential trade, Thomas must improve his reputation on that end. I will say that unless my TV was playing tricks on me, he did look a little thicker during Monday’s interview on the YES Network. Maybe it will help him body up better in one-on-one situations. In any event, in addition to Thomas’ views on the subject, I’d be curious to know what new Head Coach Jordi Fernandez has demanded of him.
2) What is Ben Simmons’ confidence level in his foul shooting?
Of course it was wonderful news when Simmons confirmed that he is good to go full-bore at Nets training camp following a second back surgery. He has reportedly looked spry in 5-on-5 pickup games, though everyone said the same thing a year ago and he ended up playing 15 games before suffering a setback that forced him to again shut it down. However, the physical obstacle, while far and away the most daunting, wasn’t the only issue holding him back from recovering his prior three-time NBA All-Star form at the beginning of last season. Whether he’ll admit it or not, the shooting block—and an apparent fear of getting fouled while shooting—is a problem that hopefully he attempted to address this offseason. Simmons’ free throw attempts per 36 minutes during 2020-21, his final season in Philadelphia: 5.5. Last season: 1.5. In those earlier days, Simmons, with the combination of track speed athleticism and a 6-foot 10 frame, was a constant threat to attack the basket. You let him get downhill and it was curtains unless you fouled him. Except his free throw inefficiency caught up to him during the 2021 playoffs, especially during the Sixers’ second round loss to Atlanta in seven games. He went a horrid 15-for-45 (33%) from the line in that series, and it (along with the searing back pain that ventured down his legs) seemed to affect his aggressiveness in the limited games for which he suited up after he was dealt to Brooklyn in the 2022 James Harden blockbuster. It’s too much to ask for Simmons to suddenly morph into a three-point shooter, but to get to a point where any foul line apprehensions are jettisoned is doable with work. We can only wonder what a Simmons of sound body and mind can do (though it is the one thing that could potentially upset Nets fans’ desire for a complete tank).
3) What are the organization’s plans for all their wings?
It was nice to see Bojan Bogdanovic return to his NBA roots (he survived the first Nets rebuild under General Manager Sean Marks until he was dealt to Washington in 2017), even if his statement that his surgically repaired foot will keep him sidelined for a while was a downer. Whenever he is activated, he will join a healthy cast of players who desire minutes at the 3/4 positions. Brooklyn also boasts Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jalen Wilson, Ziaire Williams, and Trendon Watford, not to mention guys who can play up to 3 like Keon Johnson or down to 4 like Noah Clowney. Oh, and Simmons, who can guard 1-through-5 when he participates. If it were up to me, I’d start Thomas and Dennis Schroder at guard, with a frontcourt of Clowney, Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton. A nine-man rotation would also include Simmons, Cam Johnson, Bogdanovic, and either Wilson or Williams. But it’s not up to me, nor do I have the power to accelerate trades to loosen the glut. That’s on Fernandez and Marks. My guess is that we’ll be seeing more of Johnson and Simmons in the starting five and Day’Ron Sharpe in reserve, resulting in several unhappy campers. At least until Marks finds the right deals for his expiring veteran contracts, particularly Finney-Smith. I get that: A) The organization does not need to make any decisions on these matters until the games count for real; B) The media is never informed until after the fact; and C) These things will resolve themselves over time. Though understand this: The surest way for a new coach to breed a contentious locker room is to have guys seething over playing time during the course of a long losing season.