The Nets lost again. That’s not news. They’re the worst team in the G League. Killian Hayes finished with a triple double and there is a bit of mystery regarding Dariq Whitehead
On Sunday afternoon, the Long Island Nets traveled to Washington, D.C. to take on the Capital City Go-Go in their finale before the G League moves to Orlando and its annual Winter Showcase. Long Island would lose their ninth straight game, 137-121. which is a new franchise record and their 2-12 record continues to be the worst in the NBA’s junior circuit.
It was a good day for Killian Hayes as he notched his first triple double in the G League, not so much apparently for Dariq Whitehead.
As mysterious as the reasons behind LI’s record of ineptitude is Dariq Whitehead’s situation. The Nets youngest player, who’s been playing well, started and played nine minutes before being benched not to return to the game. There was no indication of any injury and all the team would say was “no update at this time.”
However, the most important thing to remember when it comes to the NBA G-League is that it’s not about wins and losses, but instead about the development of the players. Long Island’s offense tonight looked solid at times, starting with the play of their guard, Killian Hayes.
Hayes is someone who, coming into the season, was met with a lot of hype. The former No. 7 pick in the 2020 Draft, he was seen as someone who the Nets could make their next fallen angel following his demise as a Piston. After picking up a couple of double-doubles this season, and even flirting with a triple-double on multiple occasions, tonight it finally happened for the 23-year-old. Hayes finished the game picking up a triple-double.
He scored 15 points and picked up 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. This marked Hayes’ career-high in rebounds and season-high in assists. Hayes has shown on multiple occasions that he’s not just a scorer, but he’s also a playmaker. He’s even told NetsDaily that he prides himself on getting his teammates involved. That was very apparent in tonight’s game, as he led the team in assists.
Also, Hayes led the team in rebounds with 11. Hayes, who’s a springy 6’5”, is nowhere near the tallest person on the court. However, he’s very skilled and a very physical player. This allowed him to compete with guys much taller than him, and grab some physical rebounds. In fact, Hayes picked up four offensive rebounds, and seven defensive, leading the team in both.
Aside from Hayes, we saw more solid play from Brooklyn Nets two-way player, Tyrese Martin. Martin finished the game with 24 points, which led the team. He also picked up six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. After the first quarter, Martin already picked up 15 points.
Even though he fizzled out as the game wore on, Martin still held on finishing the game leading the team in points. From one two-way to another, Jaylen Martin also had arguably his strongest game since returning from injury. He finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds, and one assist. He also led the team in steals with three. Of course, he also survived the axe. Brooklyn acquired two-way Reece Beekman from Golden State in the Dennis Schroder trade so one of the team’s three two ways had to be dumped and the Nets waived Jacky Cui who’s out for the season rather than Martin.
Jordan Minor, the local tryout pick (and Beekman’s teammate at Virginia), got his first-ever G League start Sunday for the Long Island Nets. He made the most of his newfound minutes, finishing the game with 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Long Island had seven players score in double-digits. However, despite starting the game, Whitehead was nowhere to be seen by the end of it. He finished the game with zero points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal. Again no word on what may have happened to him and what limited his minutes. After being taken out, Whitehead stood by the bench the rest of the game, showing no indication of any injury.
The first quarter was a very close one. Tyrese Martin, Amari Bailey, and Kendall Brown each had a big quarter, leading the team in scoring after one. However, Bailey and Brown only had four points each. Capital City pulled away a bit in the second, leading 77-62 and nearly putting the game out of reach.
The third quarter started awful for Long Island as they went down early on by 22 points. However, by the end of it, Long Island was able to cut the deficit to nearly 10 points, making the fourth quarter matter that much more. Unfortunately for Long Island, they couldn’t catch up and Capital City pulled away in the fourth.
Long Island was without KJ Jones II, Patrick Gardner, and Mark Armstrong for this game. Armstrong has been out now for a few games, while Jones and Gardner were new additions to the inactive list.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets are glad to be able to officially end the Tip-Off Tournament, the first part of the G League season. They finished 2-11, the league’s worst record, and now the records will thankfully reset. The regular season gets underway for Long Island on December 30th, in Delaware as they take on the Delaware Blue Coats. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and can be watched on the Long Island Nets and NBA G-League’s respective websites. Before then, there will be two contest at the Winter Showcase, a gathering spot for NBA GMs.