Michael Porter Jr. would like a little more home-court advantage in Brooklyn. Some nights, he says, the Nets aren’t getting much of one.
Porter pointed to a recent preseason matchup with Philadelphia as an example of visiting fans making themselves comfortable in the Nets’ building.
“We just played a preseason game the other night against Philly. You would’ve thought we were in Philly,” Porter said, via NBACentral.
“We gotta get the Brooklyn Nets fans back in there and actually being louder than the opposing team. When we play Knicks, Celtics, Philly, Lakers, it’s mostly their fans. It’s crazy.”
That’s a tough backdrop for a team trying to climb out of a rebuild. Brooklyn finished 20-62 last season, giving its own fans relatively few reasons to get loud.
Porter was a bright spot, averaging a career-high 24.4 points. The Nets have since added Julius Randle, giving coach Jordi Fernandez another established scorer alongside a young roster still finding its way.
Randle has already made clear he expects Brooklyn to compete rather than settle for another season near the bottom of the standings. Porter would apparently appreciate a crowd that helps with that effort.
Of course, the Nets have some responsibility here, too. Winning more games would give their fans a reason to show up and make those visiting jerseys a little less noticeable.
Fans of the Knicks, Celtics, Sixers and Lakers probably aren’t going to stop buying tickets. Brooklyn’s job is to give them less to cheer about.
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