Nets have had chemistry issues against good teams
Mikal Bridges was direct when he assessed the Nets’ 121-99 loss to the 76ers on Sunday, their biggest defeat of the season.
Several times, he noted that the Nets have to be on the same page on the court. It’s a reminder that their chemistry is still developing since last season’s busy trade deadline.
But Bridges wouldn’t allow that to serve as an excuse.
“We just got to be together on everything, because against good teams, if you’re not, they’re just gonna break you apart,” he said.
It’s a key reason the Nets struggle against winning teams (they’re 2-6 against teams above .500 this season).
Consider their last three losses to the Celtics, Heat and 76ers. All three teams are in the top four in the Eastern Conference standings. All three had an All-Star — Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid — perform like one.
That’s something the Nets don’t have with Ben Simmons injured.
The same could be said about losing to the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But all four teams also share another thing: a core that’s mostly been together for years.
Even with the Celtics adding Jrue Holiday, the Bucks trading for Damian Lillard and the 76ers trading away James Harden, there are clearly defined roles on each team. The Nets are still figuring that out.
It partially explains the lapses to end the first half of the last two games. They allowed runs of 14-0 to the Heat and 15-0 to the 76ers.
“Going up against the top teams in the league, it’s obviously a good test for you, and that’s going to be our challenge,” Nic Claxton said. “Also taking care of business against other teams, but going into these matchups like this, we definitely need that statement win.”
The truth is, through 13 games, the Nets are a solid middle-of-the-road team. They’re good enough to be in close games but don’t have the horses to match the Eastern Conference’s elite or second-tier groups.
It’s not bleak, but it’s honest. The Nets need time to trust each other, and despite some successes, it’s an ongoing process that has left them short against good to great teams.
Of course, injuries matter, too.
The Nets’ opening night starting lineup has played only one game together. Claxton and Cam Johnson missed most of the season’s first 10 games.
Cam Thomas, the Nets’ leading scorer, has sat out the last five games with a sprained ankle. Simmons’ promising start was halted by another nerve impingement in his back that has sidelined him for the last six games.
“It definitely hurts missing those guys, but we have to just hold down the fort when they’re gone,” Claxton said.
The injuries certainly have kept the Nets from reaching another level. But it’s part of a bigger issue with chemistry that’s still a work in progress.
“We’re just not there yet,” Bridges said. “There’s nothing wrong with that just because we haven’t been there that long. But we’ve just got to figure it out.”