The Nets had a three-game winning streak snapped by the Warriors on Monday but they’re garnering attention with their improved play and young talent, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News writes.
Before giving up 120 points to Golden State, Brooklyn had the No. 1 ranked defense in the league during December. The Nets notched wins over Toronto, Philadelphia and Minnesota during the mini-streak.
“Looks like it’s working,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I watched the Minnesota game, that was impressive. And I don’t know, I just think that every time we’ve played them over the last couple years, they’ve been energetic, well-organized, well-coached. So, you know, they came to our place last year and beat us. We came here last year, and it was like 24-to-6 right out of the gate. We had to fight to win at the end, so I just think they’re doing a great job. Jordi (Fernandez) is doing a great job, his staff, player development, in the face of obviously a rebuild, but seven out of 10 wins, best defense in the league in December.”
We have more on the Nets:
- Michael Porter Jr. had the 10th-most votes among Eastern Conference players in the first round of fan voting. It reinforces the notion that Porter is a longshot to be selected for the 12-man squad despite posting career-high numbers. That won’t stop the Nets from campaigning for him. “Mike is a leader by example. He shows up, always been very professional since I got to know him at 19 years old. He’s worked on his body, came in and did his work. Obviously, that shot is pure, but he puts a lot of time into it,” Fernández said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “He makes open shots, contested shots and impossible shots. That’s the work that not a lot of people see and his teammates see it.”
- The front office must keep in mind the long-term picture during this competitive stretch in which they’ve moved up a few notches in the standings, Lewis opines. GM Sean Marks and team owner Joe Tsai must make a tough decision on whether Porter Jr. is an asset or a building block, as well as seeking a market for Cam Thomas. They could also ponder other moves, such as trading Nic Claxton, or absorbing another salary dump into their league-high $15MM in cap space to acquire more draft assets.
- While Haywood Highsmith continues to work his way back from right knee surgery, he’s trying to assist the club any way he can, such as mentoring rookie Drake Powell. “Just a true vet,” Fernández said, per Holmes. “You see him right now, he’s passing the ball to Drake and we’re not asking him to do it. So that shows you the type of veteran he is, his leadership. He holds him accountable and he wants him to get better. So that’s very important for us. That leadership is priceless and we’re very happy with him… He’s doing his job every single day.”