Nets Fans Must Look To Future With Team Under Siege On & Off Court

Everyone wants to dump on the Nets these days, and I’m super tempted too after driving three hours to DC on Friday to watch them lose to a 5-win Wizards squad, 110-104.

This after Brooklyn absorbed multiple shots from those who were upset (especially anyone who purchased tickets) when they load managed just about every core rotation piece in Wednesday’s blowout defeat against visiting Milwaukee. The Nets benched Mikal Bridges, who wasn’t thrilled about it, after 12 minutes so he could preserve his consecutive games played streak and grounded 22-year old Cam Thomas as well.

Hence, some are calling Friday’s result a “Karma loss.” Had the Nets (15-17) beat the Wiz, maybe it would have been easier for the organization to point to the big picture of getting back to .500. Instead, this look isn’t what a reeling club whose only victories since December 12 came against the record-setting Pistons needs at the moment. Brooklyn now faces a more daunting schedule with their next three games on the road, with Oklahoma City on tap on New Year’s Eve.

As if the present didn’t look bleak enough, Bill Simmons piled on, calling Brooklyn “an awful situation” on his podcast. He pointed to the obvious fact that the Nets can’t tank because Houston owns that draft pick outright from the 2021 James Harden blockbuster and that going all in on another star doesn’t make sense either.

Simmons, who once argued that Bill Russell played with a bunch of average guys during the Celtics’ dynasty, may have a point—for this season. And maybe next year as well. But what did he expect? How many teams can lose talents like Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant in a 12-month period and remain a viable contender the following season? I don’t know that it’s ever happened before.

However, the Nets organization under General Manager Sean Marks did exactly what it was supposed to do last summer to prepare for the 2023-24 campaign. The team got younger and more athletic. They took fliers on a bunch of intriguing guys who were denied opportunities to continue with their former clubs. And they held on to their valuable future draft picks as opposed to chasing players who might have helped them on the margins this season, but not enough to compete for that elusive title. All while getting below the luxury tax line so that they can maximize their flexibility for the next run.

To get back to 2022-23, it’s bad, but not nearly as bad as the teams Marks inherited nearly eight years ago. The Nets have desirable assets on their roster. We’ll have to see how Marks manages them, particularly in the next six weeks through the NBA trade deadline.

What the Nets are lacking is that superstar who can take over games down the stretch. Bridges seems to have hit a wall after a fantastic start to his Nets tenure. Many fans want Thomas to be “that guy”, but he gets targeted relentlessly on defense, so how can Head Coach Jacque Vaughn trust a player who lacks the size, agility, and awareness to play defense in these moments, no matter how many buckets he can potentially deliver? And don’t get me started on Spencer Dinwiddie. I felt the need to shout this to the Capital One Arena rafters on Friday, but I didn’t want to embarrass my son: Stop shooting! 

When you’re sporting a 39/32/76 split, maybe be a little bit more discriminating. How about passing first instead of overdribbling before hoisting a team-high 16 field goal attempts (of which he made just 5), including going 3-for-10 from deep? It wouldn’t be fair to state that Dinwiddie single-handedly shot the Nets out of Friday’s game down the stretch, but it certainly didn’t help.

So you can see that I’m well aware how frustrating it is to be a Nets fan these days. It stinks that their highest-paid player, Ben Simmons, has suited up for just six games this season—and wasn’t all that impactful to winning when he did take the court. Vaughn isn’t my favorite either—some of his decisions provoked my outrage, though I’ve also previously pointed out some positive things he’s done to manage the team through various injuries.

I think many fans are just waking up to the reality that this post superstar isn’t the barrel of fun some cheerleaders purported it would be.

My suggestion to you as the new Nets struggle with finding a winning identity: Focus on the small victories, such as the development of young players. For instance, we can appreciate the games where Thomas goes off without getting wrapped up with why he isn’t always playing in key situations (it’s his defense). Enjoy the elasticity of Nic Claxton protecting the rim and the doggedness of Day’Ron Sharpe getting after rebounds. Watch how some of the vets, like Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, provide examples of how to be a professional on the court. Some of these things could prove to be integral to Brooklyn’s next ascension, like it was in the run-up to the 2019 “Clean Sweep.”

Yes, we’d all like to see THIS team qualify for the playoffs, but I just don’t see it in the cards. Well, maybe in the unlikely event that Marks deals a new hand before the deadline.

Even when coming to grips with that, I refer you to the legendary former Net Joe Johnson, who once said of Brooklyn, “It’s not that bad here.” I’ll remind everyone it was much worse then. Remember that this team was not configured to reach great heights. It’s more of a place-setter. Bill Simmons and those doomsayers are at best short-sighted in counting out Brooklyn’s future.