3 takeaways from Nets' 3-1 road trip
Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) drive on Phoenix Suns center Oso Ighodaro during the first half on Wednesday in Phoenix. Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri
This was supposed to be a bad Nets road trip. One in which the season took the inevitable downward turn most expected.
It began with a fourth-quarter collapse at Philadelphia last Friday, their sixth loss in eight games. But they returned home on Thursday with a three-game winning streak and renewed life even though leading scorer Cam Thomas is sidelined for at least the next three weeks with a strained hamstring.
It’s no longer surprising that the Nets are competitive. Ask coach Jordi Fernandez and it’s a combination of togetherness and belief that their system of aggressive ball pressure on defense and shooting three-pointers can pay off.
“We’re coming together. We’re valuing the same things,” Fernandez said after Wednesday’s win in Phoenix. “At the beginning you hear it, but you start buying into it when you see it.”
Here are three takeaways from this trip.
1. The Nets are letting it fly with efficiency
Fernandez wants the Nets to put up a high volume of three-pointers, and his team not only has obliged but has knocked them down. Wednesday was the seventh time in nine games that they attempted at least 40 threes, and they took 39 in Sunday’s win in Sacramento.
They’re making those attempts. In eight of those games, they’ve shot at least 41% from deep. That combo of efficiency and volume is tough to counter, and the Nets have learned to love bombing away instead of worrying about misses.
“I’ve had four coaches since I’ve been in the league, and I don’t think there’s a coach that tells us to shoot as much as him,” Trendon Watford said. “That’s how he wants to play and we enjoy it.”
2. Cam Johnson is playing some of his best ball
Last season, Johnson struggled with injuries and looked inconsistent. Now he’s healthy and showing why the Nets value his leadership by example.
He started the trip with a 37-point night, including a career-high nine threes. He ended with nine rebounds and a career high-tying six assists on Wednesday night.
Johnson is shooting 52.8% from the field and 47.6% from three-point range in the last 12 games. He’s raised his game to help elevate the Nets, and with Thomas out, they’ll need more of it.
3. Next man up isn’t just a concept of a plan
The Nets will miss Thomas and also Noah Clowney, who is out for two weeks with a sprained ankle. Nic Claxton is nursing a back injury. Yet the Nets are finding ways to get contributions beyond their starters.
It’s Clowney delivering 18 points in Sacramento before he got hurt. It’s Tyrese Martin going from the end of the bench to making eight threes in a 30-point night. How about Ziaire Williams playing center for the first time since high school and getting a double-double in a win at Golden State?
Next man up can be a cliche, but the Nets believe it. It’s helped them avoid the Eastern Conference cellar for now. It doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but the Nets are holding steady because of balance, just enough high-level scoring, and trust in Fernandez’s guidance and motivation.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
