Nets searching for consistency with 17 games left on schedule
Nets center Nic Claxton shoots over Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. on Feb. 27. Credit: AP/John Raoux
Usually trips to Florida in March mean joy and warm weather. But the Nets’ trip won’t have many sunny thoughts or Disney dreams just yet.
Wednesday’s game against Orlando is a reminder of another low point this season. On their last visit on Feb. 27, the Nets scored a season-worst 81 points against a team missing All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. They also had more turnovers - a season-high 20 - than assists.
The good news is they’ll likely have Cam Johnson back. Johnson missed the last three games with a sprained right ankle and is listed as probable on Tuesday’s injury report
But his return only matters if it leads to wins. And with 17 games left, the Nets must figure out who they want to be with a tough, critical portion of the schedule up next.
Will they be the team that surprised a Cavaliers team missing three starters? Or more like the team that dropped resounding defeats to non-playoff teams like the Hornets and Pistons.
“We have to be more consistent with our effort and that can't be wavering from game to game,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said Tuesday after practice. “I'm not talking about wins and losses. I'm talking about the process of it.”
The Nets have lacked that effort too often since the All-Star break. The Pistons and Hornets were tougher teams down the stretch last week. The Grizzlies last Monday were a grittier unit by winning with second-chance points.
Two weeks ago, the Nets trailed the Magic by as many as 33 points in that last trip to Orlando. It was an embarrassing effort for a team still fighting for the play-in tournament.
So now what? If the Nets can bottle up the defensive effort from Sunday and spray it over the next three games, that’s a start. Five of their next six opponents have winning records and won’t make it easy.
It could very well be the last stand of a Nets team as far as having something to play for. Even the Spurs, the one .sub-500 team in that stretch, can’t be taken lightly since the Nets laid eggs in Detroit and Charlotte that were disheartening, yet not surprising.
“Teams definitely think they can came out and, like, punk us and beat us so we really got to come out and hit first,” Nic Claxton said Tuesday.
The Nets have a chance at redemption Wednesday. Can they atone for one of their worst showings of the season? Or will it be the start of a brutal tumble that ends a season that Claxton called disappointing at one point.
It’s up for the Nets to decide. The Hawks, who lead the Nets by 3 1/2 games for the final play-in spot, haven’t helped winning three of their last four games. However, they are dealing with another injury as forward Saadiq Bey suffered a season-ending ACL injury Sunday.
But the Nets can’t focus on that as they noted Sunday after winning in Cleveland. It’s on them to determine how the season finishes and will be remembered on their own merits.
Wednesday offers a chance to avenge their own mistakes and either start one last push or burn out in the Florida sun.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
