Nets Join The Shameless
Take A Beat Before Extrapolating Small Samples From Early Impressions
To the delight of the pro-tanking segment of their fan base, the Nets seemed to have finally shelved their shame about what it will take to “win” this disgusting race to the bottom of the NBA. Whereas the team had been losing games all season organically by virtue of its sheer talent disparity, Head Coach Jordi Fernandez upped the tank level in the last two contests by holding out certain starters in fourth quarters.
For Thursday’s 108-97 defeat in Atlanta, the Nets, who were already without Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Ziaire Williams due to injuries/illness/rest, kept Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, and Terance Mann stapled to the bench even as the Hawks turned a tight game into a double digit lead over the final 12 minutes.
And when the Nets engineered a ferocious comeback on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia from 28 points down in the third quarter to take a lead with 3:23 to go, it was on the backs of a G-League lineup featuring Ben Saraf, E.J. Liddell, Malachi Smith, Chaney Johnson, and Tyson Etienne. Even Josh Minott and Danny Wolf were pulled mid comeback, possibly for being too effective.
No worries, pro-tankers. The Sixers set things right with an 18-10 close to secure the Nets’ 50th loss of the season, 104-97.
This is Adam Silver’s NBA. Teams are fixing games, and other than promises that the league’s Lottery rules will be altered in some ways in the future, the NBA Commissioner, who is responsible for the games’ integrity, hasn’t yet seen fit to hit the most blatant offenders where it hurts—the fines levied against Utah and Indiana last month are for all practical purposes worthwhile costs of doing business to them. It seems like Silver is even attempting to turn the tide against the reprehensible strategy by dropping slivers in his media comments about the acceptableness of playing young players for evaluation purposes.
Nah, that’s not what these clubs are doing. Otherwise, why did 20-year old Washington center Alex Sarr see only 20 minutes of action last week in Miami while Bam Adebayo went nuts and dropped 83 points? Foul trouble? Sarr committed just three of the Wizards’ 34 fouls during Adebayo’s parade to the line that night. Maybe it was because Sarr was also a dominant force with 28 points.
The Jazz are playing similar bait-and-switch games by yanking Keyonte George, 22, for fourth quarters. I saw someone joke that Brice Sensabaugh, also 22, recently made a couple of shots during a tight game, so he was immediately removed by Utah Head Coach Will Hardy.
Getting back to Brooklyn, you can’t tell me that a player like Clowney, 21, doesn’t need any more reps, particularly in fourth quarters of close games. There has been no leap from him in Year 3, with Clowney posting shooting numbers well below optimal. But his size and athleticism when compared to his replacement could potentially tilt a game in Brooklyn’s favor. Can’t have that, right?
When Clutchpoints.com reporter Erik Slater asked if the Nets coaching staff relayed the reasoning behind the fourth quarter benchings, Clowney said, “I ain’t ask questions.”
Don’t ask, don’t tell why. It’s implied anyway.
I can’t fathom what will transpire when the Nets face their fellow tankers during this 15-game slog to the finish line. Avert your eyes.
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Beware false beacons of hope during this closing stretch, Nets fans.
I’ve been around long enough to remember less heralded players like Sean Kilpatrick, Isaiah Whitehead, et al who once turned some heads with stellar performances in games that didn’t matter in the standings. Just last season, some folks were proclaiming Keon Johnson a potential keeper. He’s toiling in the G League now.
Of course, there are always quality players who slip through the cracks in NBA teams’ first impressions guessing games. Second rounders have developed into All Stars, undrafted players are sprinkled around the league in key roles, etc. Maturity, health—heck, even simple opportunity can unlock what was once hidden talents.
The rate of return on those players, however, is exceedingly low.
So let’s wait a bit before we make a call on Minott, who drew what I consider outsized praise from the mainstream and social media after his first strong outing in Atlanta on Thursday night because there is so little joy in this Nets season.
Was it a mistake for the Nets to take a flyer by paying Boston $110,000 cash to acquire a 23-year old making less than $2.4 million this season (with a $2.6 million team option for 2026-27) at the NBA Trade Deadline last month? Certainly not. But the Celtics organization doesn’t ordinarily move off players who they feel have a reasonable probability of developing into a rotation piece on a contending team, even if the primary motive was to get under the luxury tax.
After his 24-point night on just nine field goal attempts versus the Hawks, Minott rebounded from a terrible first half in Philly to score 14 points on Saturday. His length (6-foot 8, nearly 7-foot wingspan) and athleticism make him intriguing to Brooklyn.
However, while Minott’s defensive activity has ticked up in Brooklyn—he recorded three steals and three blocks on Thursday night—let’s not forget that he was usurped in Boston’s rotation by Hugo Gonzalez in December, mainly because of the 20-year-old rookie’s superior motor on that end.
To be clear, I’m not writing off Minott as a prospect. It’s just going to take a lot longer than a week’s sample for him to put a credible claim on becoming part of what General Manager Sean Marks calls, “The Next Nets.”