The Nets charged into the All-Star break as winners of six of their final seven video games. Who would’ve seen that coming after they posted a 3-12 report in January?
“I think it’s been the consistency of working every day,” head coach Jordi Fernandez mentioned. “Because if you think about that stretch, whether we had guys out or not, we also lost close games, and we pretty much competed in [a lot of them].”
December trades of Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith crippled the group’s manufacturing at each ends of the courtroom. Cam Thomas, Brooklyn’s main scorer, hasn’t appeared in a sport since Jan.2. Cam Johnson missed 13 of 16 video games from Jan. 4-Feb. 4 as properly.
But right here the Nets are at 20-34, simply 1 1/2 video games behind the Chicago Bulls for the ultimate Play-In Event spot within the Jap Convention. A lot for the tank. They’re now tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth-best lottery odds, which implies they’ve a 34.8% probability at a High 4 decide and an 8.3% probability at touchdown the No. 1 total decide in June.
Brooklyn is among the NBA’s hottest groups within the NBA with 28 video games left. And it ought to solely get stronger after the All-Star break, when Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney are anticipated to return.
“We have to come back and work and get better,” Fernandez mentioned. “I think the days off are good. They have to do their jobs. They have a plan, because physically you cannot go without doing anything. So, everybody has a program they’ll follow and that’s going to be very important and that’s how we want to build moving forward.”
Fernandez has all the time been a defensive-minded coach, and it appears his group has lastly purchased into his philosophies at that finish of the courtroom. The Nets have held six of their final seven opponents below 100 factors, together with every of the final three. They did that simply 4 instances of their first 47 outings.
In Wednesday’s 100-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Heart, the Nets recorded a season-high 13 steals, and beginning heart Nic Claxton swatted 5 pictures, his second most blocks in a sport this season. Their pick-and-roll protection has been among the many most aggressive within the NBA, and based on the Effectivity Panorama, they’ve boasted the No. 1 protection within the league over the previous 10 video games.
D’Angelo Russell referred to as Fernandez a “genius” for bringing this sort of defensive effort out of Brooklyn’s roster.
“Watching him prepare for these games, not knowing who’s going to play, not knowing who’s going to start, or who can finish, who can’t play, minute restrictions, et cetera,” Russell mentioned. “For him to still find a way to get straight wins and keep everybody’s energy and spirit high. I think the future’s bright here.”
