Nets Training Camp Primer: What To Watch For In The Exhibitions
Nets Training Camp Primer: What To Watch For In The Exhibitions
The conventional assumption is that since the Nets just barfed their second all-in move in a decade with last season’s trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn must have reverted to being an NBA wasteland. Top players want to win now, and the Nets do not have the makeup to challenge for a title this season, right?
If that’s the case, how do you explain the fact that star guard Damian Lillard, among others, recently listed the borough as one of his choice destinations? It certainly can’t be because of the weather, traffic, or the taxes.
The Nets under General Manager Sean Marks have been in this position before—and thrived, building an infrastructure founded on player development to eventually lure the game’s brightest stars. I’d argue that the Nets could have conceivably cashed in those chips had Irving and James Harden not been injured during the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bucks.
When it didn’t happen, though, the stars begged to bail. That doesn’t mean that the organization can’t start over. It just so happens that they’re starting over from a stronger position than before, with a budding star in Mikal Bridges, one of the consideration pieces in the Durant deal, the new face of the franchise.
One thing you could tell about the 18 Nets who showed up for Media Day on Monday; There wasn’t any doubt about whether they all wanted to be here. Some new faces, like guard Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV, and forwards Harry Giles III, Trendon Watford, and Darius Bazley, could have easily opted for other places of employment for the same minimum salaries.
In this regard, these Nets have a little bit of the good 2018-19 vibes going on, the feel-good season that led to the ensuing Clean Sweep summer of KD, Kyrie, and DeAndre Jordan, though guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was on both clubs, made sure to mention that this iteration is older and more talented.
Of course, just about every team feels this way when October surfaces. They’re all 0-0 and no one has caught a case of the grumps from longer stints on the bench than they expected. (Looking at you, Cam Thomas.)
We’ll find out who these guys really are once the regular season gets under way on October 25 with a home game versus Cleveland. Before then, Brooklyn will play four exhibitions, starting on Monday against the Lakers in Las Vegas, where the team will head for a portion of training camp.
While the games themselves are meaningless, here’s a few things to watch for this preseason:
1) Ben Simmons’ alleged resurrection
The health of the Nets’ highest-paid player continued to be the primary topic of conversation on Monday. The word “explosive” was used numerous times by his teammates.
Simmons must overcome both the physical and mental issues that limited his contributions to 42 games last season after sitting out the entire 2021-22 campaign. His ailing back, which was surgically repaired in the previous offseason, left him a shell of his former All-Star self.
When asked about his condition heading into training camp, Simmons simply said, “I’m playing.” He has been cleared for contact and was participating in 5-on-5 pickup games at the Nets’ practice facility.
If you deign to watch these preseason affairs (and assuming Simmons gets some run), pay attention to things like his lift and whether he attacks the basket instead of throwing up baby hooks while falling away.
Simmons remains perhaps the greatest variable in the league—a full return of his skillset makes the Nets a much more dangerous team to contend with on a nightly basis, even if they’re no longer championship material. It’s just that we’re at the “show me” stage of his Brooklyn engagement.
As Dinwiddie said on Monday, “This team goes as far as Ben and Mikal take it.” The Simmons part could end up being as much as a ten-game swing in either direction.
2) The 4/5 rotation
Nets Head Coach Jacque Vaughn’s roster is light on big centers and heavy on small-ball 5s. Starting center Nic Claxton seems primed for another strong season, the final one on his Brooklyn contract. Whether or not he incorporates a three-point shot this season is only material if he and Simmons, another non-shooter from outside the paint, can’t efficiently coexist in a halfcourt offense. Otherwise, as Dinwiddie eloquently put it, “even if (Claxton) s#$%ts the bed this year, he can still get $70-$80 million” as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Behind Claxton, though, is anyone’s guess, including who starts at the 4. Dorian Finney-Smith played up quite a bit last season, as did Cam Johnson, who will miss some time at the start of camp with a hamstring strain, and Royce O’Neale. As always, Simmons’ performance level is a wild card. He’s a point guard on offense, but if healthy, he can guard anyone 1-through-5. That could allow Vaughn to play Bridges and Cam Johnson as purely wing defenders.
The preseason, however, gives Vaughn opportunities to experiment. Watford and Giles both said they told the organization that they could play 4 or 5, though keeping them at forward would significantly help the team’s woeful rebounding percentage.
You’ll also see plenty of Day’Ron Sharpe, who is the Nets’ heaviest player by nearly 20 pounds, as well as the leaner Bazley. Expect the rookies, Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson, to be eased in during fourth quarters (Brooklyn’s other rookie, Dariq Whitehead, is still not cleared for contact, with his on-court work limited to simple skill development). Wilson, at 23, has the body to play at this level, just not the experience at pro speed.
Hopefully, the competition will help these players push each other, for by the start of the real season, there won’t be enough minutes for Vaughn to spread around and make each of them happy.
3) Cam Thomas’ defensive interest
It’s hard to find an example of another NBA player who has been as prolific a scorer as Thomas who has also had as hard a time earning a permanent rotation role. Jamal Crawford was injured in his second season and then played 80 games for the Bulls in each of the next two seasons.
We’re in Year 3 for Thomas, who wowed the league by becoming the youngest player to top 40 points in three consecutive games in February. By the end of March, however, the record showed that he topped 10 minutes of action in just four of Brooklyn’s 16 games that month. I believe it had little to do with his ability to get buckets.
Vaughn has emphasized that Thomas must be more of a plus factor on both ends of the floor. I’m of the opinion that he can be a willing passer at times, but it’s his defense that has been more problematic. Of the Nets who played at least 50 games last season, only Seth Curry posted a worse defensive rating, per NBA.com—by just 0.2 points per 100 possessions.
Thomas might think he doesn’t need to go all out on defense in these preseason games, but if he’s caught standing around instead of doing the detailed work of communicating screens, helping the helper, contesting shots, and boxing out on rebounds, then there will be others who will once again pass him by for regular playing time.