It’s not expected to be a banner year in Brooklyn. But it will be a year for the Nets to develop some players, figure out what they have, and try to build a culture.
And hey, who knows? Maybe they can act as a sleeper along the way.
Per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the idea under first-time head coach Jordi Fernandez is to attack — a lot. It’s to play hard and fast and let the results fall where they may.
“We want to play fast, want to play hard,” big man Noah Clowney said, via Lewis. “We want to be disruptive. We know we’ve got to be a great defensive team if we want any shot at winning games, and that’s just the reality of it. Nobody’s got to sugarcoat that for us. We understand that.”
Brooklyn traded away forward Mikal Bridges (to the Knicks), its best player over the past two seasons. They are still figuring out what to do with forward Cam Johnson, their best shooter.
But from the sounds of things, it doesn’t really matter who’s on the roster. They want to make a name for themselves simply via effort. The Nets want to make it so that they’re a team you don’t want to face. They might not always beat you, but it won’t be for a lack of trying. At least, that seems to be the rally cry.
“I think the main part is playing fast, playing confident,” said second-year power forward Jalen Wilson, via Lewis. “Not being out there settling and not being unsure of anything. But everything at full speed and understanding that you’ve got to attack in everything … whether it’s shooting, dribbling, finding the open teammate, running down the floor sprinting to the corner, those different things.”
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