Intriguing Nets have been competitive and better than expected so far this season
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez applauds his team during the second half of an NBA game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Saturday. Credit: AP/Phil Long
CLEVELAND — Through 10 games, the Nets at 4-6 can be deemed a success, depending on what fans had hoped.
Did fans want to see improvement and good habits under coach Jordi Fernandez? If so, they've been rewarded by a team that plays hard, has been competitive and suffered only two bad losses: a thumping by the Magic and a second-half collapse to the Pistons.
For fans rooting for losses to get in position for a high draft pick? They’re getting their wish. Close losses to the Celtics and Cavaliers show that they can fight with playoff contenders but don’t have enough yet to finish such battles.
That makes the first three weeks a solid start heading into Monday's road trip finale in New Orleans. Still, the Nets are rightly troubled by not holding second-half leads in three of their last four games.
“We know how to compete,” Cam Johnson said Saturday. “We know how to influence the game and have it play our way. Now we got to learn how to win games in the fourth quarter.”
There’s still lessons to be learned and it’s too early for sweeping judgments. But the Nets have exceeded early expectations and people are noticing.
Dennis Schroder is playing some of the best ball of his career. Cam Thomas is scoring at an expected high clip. The Nets are showing the grit they often talk about but haven’t leaned on. Even Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson opened his postgame news conference by praising the Nets and coach Jordi Fernandez for how they looked.
Fernandez has handled his first 10 games well. He is measured on results or trends but not satisfied with how they’ve lost games by letting go of the rope.
The Nets still foul too much and have the second-most per game as of Sunday. But it’s a byproduct of their physical defense that’s also top-10 in opponent turnovers and opponent three-point percentage.
“This cannot happen again,” Fernandez said Sunday.
They’re also mistakes expected of a team low on upper-end talent. Detroit showed them they don’t have a Cade Cunningham-type player. The Celtics and Cavaliers have multiple All-Stars that can finish games along with team chemistry.
In the grander scheme, it’s not much to worry about. The Nets had low expectations for a reason and eventually, time will tell if those were outlandish or just right.
But in the moment, the Nets have done enough to keep fans intrigued while appeasing those expecting a limit on the season’s ceiling. Not that the team cares nor should they.
“It doesn't matter. It doesn’t affect us,” Ben Simmons said after Friday’s loss. “It's just somebody saying something. So unless they're in the gym with us and, you know, dictating what's happening, it’s just somebody saying something.”
The Nets have said more good than bad through 10 games. What they say over the next 10-12 should offer fans a better sample size of monitoring progress or starting to watch top college basketball prospects.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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