Nets need to improve focus and effort against teams playing out the stretch
Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie gestures in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center on Monday, March 4, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The message from the Nets at shootaround before their matchup with Memphis was clear - maintain focus and keep being the aggressor.
As Dennis Schroder said, the Nets can’t get tired of doing the things that worked. The opposite happened Monday night at Barclays Center where the Nets were outplayed by an undermanned Grizzlies team.
Interim coach Kevin Ollie noted pregame that the Nets had to stick to their good habits of playing hard and showing effort. After the loss, he criticized how it didn’t happen and contrasted that with the effort by a Grizzlies team playing without nine players.
"We just got to fight. We stopped that,” Ollie said. “We got to execute better, we got to make free throws, we got to double down on all the details, and we didn't do that tonight. And this is what happens.”
The Nets return to action Tuesday against the 76ers, but Monday's loss reminded that they've lost focus too often against teams well out of the playoff picture, including defeats to the Wizards, Hornets and twice to the Trail Blazers.
The Grizzlies are the latest team with little to play for who showed more pride in the little things. Consider the second half where the Grizzlies had 12 offensive rebounds, three fewer than the Nets’ entire rebound total.
"We need to win every single game, especially games like this,” Nic Claxton said. “[The Grizzlies were] missing a lot of dudes so this loss is definitely gonna sting, but we got to flush it.”
It’s also a loss the Nets can’t afford with a favorable schedule this week. After Tuesday, they face the Pistons and Hornets Thursday and Saturday, respectively, in must-win road games.
The schedule then gets spaced out, but more difficult. The Nets face the Cavaliers Sunday on the back end of a back-to-back, the Magic next Wednesday and then another back-to-back starting a week from Friday on the road against the Pacers and Spurs.
Every game matters for a team that trails the Hawks by 2 1/2 games for the final play-in spot. That requires playing with greater focus and limiting the inconsistency they've showed all season.
Ollie reiterated that the Nets don’t have the luxury of playing poorly and getting bailed out by an All-Star-caliber player like other teams.
Monday’s loss was yet another reminder. The Nets shot 48.6% in the second half and forced 12 turnovers. But after tying the score at 88, they missed eight of their next nine shots over the next six minutes.
“We’re not talented enough to do that,” Ollie said. “We got to be scrappy, we got to be the scrappiest team. We got to get every rebound, we got to hit, we just can't have empty possessions when we don't fight.”
It’s even tougher with the Nets hobbled by another injury. Day’Ron Sharpe suffered a right wrist contusion Monday and is out Tuesday, along with Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas. Lonnie Walker sprained his left ankle yet said he didn’t expect to miss time.
That’s why there’s little room for error for this team. The Grizzlies reminded them of that. The Pistons certainly won’t back down, as the Nets escaped Detroit with a six-point win on Dec. 26. The Hornets caught them sleeping with a home loss on Nov. 30.
"We need to be more positive with our group and attack these remaining 21 games rather than worry about things that have gone wrong,” Cam Johnson said. “I think we just need to evaluate what we need to clean up, put our hard hats on and get back to work.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
