The common age of the Nets‘ 18-man roster is 24-years-old.
D’Angelo Russell and Cam Johnson, each 29, are the veterans of the group by age and NBA expertise. Reece Beekman and Tyson Etienne are rookies, whereas Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, Noah Clowney, Tosan Evbuomwan, Dariq Whitehead and Maxwell Lewis have all logged only one full season of service.
Studying how you can win within the league takes time. Russell and Johnson are the one two gamers on Brooklyn’s roster which have appeared within the Convention Finals. And Johnson, who started his profession with the Phoenix Suns, is the one participant who’s appeared within the NBA Finals.
So, it shouldn’t come at a shock that the youthful Nets, underneath a first-year head coach in Jordi Fernandez, have struggled to shut out video games this season. Saturday’s 105-102 street loss to the Charlotte Hornets marked the fifth time Brooklyn has blown a 17-point lead this season and misplaced the sport. That’s tied for probably the most within the league this season.
“Obviously our last game was disappointing, the way it ended up and the way we handled ourselves,” Fernandez mentioned. “because of our consistency, there were some good things, but sometimes that’s how you learn.”
The Nets additionally blew a 22-point lead towards the Golden State Warriors final Thursday at Barclays Middle. That have, for higher or worse, is a part of development.
“When I was a little kid, my dad would tell me all the time ‘Don’t do this. You’ll get hurt.’ And guess what? I did it. I got hurt, and that’s how I learned,” Fernandez mentioned. “So, I guess it’s part of parenting. Our guys are great, for the most part. They learn and they listen.”
THE DSF EFFECT
The Lakers acquired Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets in December. Since buying and selling for the versatile defensive ahead, they’ve had the third-best defensive ranking within the league at 110.3.
Finney-Smith’s defensive ranking of 105.0 ranks first on the Lakers amongst gamers who’ve appeared in at the least 20 video games. He was sidelined by left ankle soreness in his return to Barclays Middle on Monday, and didn’t play when the Nets visited the Lakers in January, both.
“He can do everything,” Fernandez mentioned of Finney-Smith. “He’s extremely tough and was a great teammate, and that just helps. And I think that’s why part of the [Lakers’] success comes from bringing in guys like him.”
MISSING STAR POWER
The Nets performed with out Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford on Monday, who had been each managing left hamstring accidents. Whereas Luka Doncic wound up suiting up for the Lakers regardless of coming into the evening listed as questionable, Los Angeles was with out Finney-Smith (left ankle soreness), Rui Hachimura (Left patellar tendinopathy), Jaxon Hayes (proper knee contusion) and, most notably, LeBron James (left groin pressure).
