Takeaways from Nets’ depressing loss to Orlando Magic

Fortunately, I had to miss the Brooklyn Nets – Orlando Magic contest last night.

Unfortunately, I am rewatching it now on Wednesday morning. From what I know, Brooklyn lost 108-81, and it was bad enough that most of my Nets-related Twitter/X timeline has spent the time since arguing about the direction of the franchise. So much for those good vibes in Memphis, I guess?

Let’s get into it.

First Quarter

I have been a proponent of this lineup — Schröder/Twins/DFS/Clax — since the trade deadline (if the goal is truly to make the Play-In Tournament). For nearly a season — 2023’s deadline up until the point this season that Spencer Dinwiddie … you know — that lineup was quite effective. Obviously, this version has Schröder in Dinwiddie’s place, but the idea remains the same.

• 10:00 — So far, this is why. Schröder is Brooklyn’s best downhill-driver and will both shoot and pass on his way to the rim. He’s gotten into the paint on just about every possession so far.
• 9:00 — Already, the effort on the glass and closeouts is waning, and even when it’s not, how are the Nets already confused about coverages? (Johnson doesn’t know whether or not BKN is X-ing out on the weak-side?)

• 6:00 — Poor Dorian. Brooklyn should have traded him to a serious team, if not to recoup assets and open up playing time for Jalen Wilson, then to allow DFS to play winning ball on a winning team. His boxing out/defensive awareness/toughness would be real valuable for a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, for example.
• 4:00 — Day’Ron Sharpe shot 61% at the rim his first two seasons, up to 67% this year, per Cleaning the Glass. Still not great for a near-seven-footer, but much improved, and the difference is noticeable.

• 00:00 — I’ve often been asked, “what happened to the Nets’ offense?” considering their hot start to the season. And while it’s tempting to blame it solely on shooting regression and Dinwiddie’s down-turn, I think by the new year, the book was out on Brooklyn. In that first quarter, Orlando was so physical with Brooklyn off the ball, willing to rack up some personal fouls in order to set the tone. Sure, this one is a back-to-back, but for months now, defenses have realized they’re not going to pay for overt physicality when dealing with Brooklyn’s skinny, ball-handling-deficient roster. Think back to the Paris Game.
• 00:00 — Also, it’s no secret that I love Trendon Watford’s game, but I need him to not 1) get shy from three 2) turn the ball over 3) get lost on defense. He’d play much more!

Second Quarter

• 11:45 — Trendon Watford turnover on the first possession. PLEASE!
• 10:45 — Is Wilson ever going to miss again? I didn’t do much draft scouting last year but he shot like 32% from three over four years at Kansas! This is nuts.
• 9:00 — Nic Claxton didn’t come ready to play after a dominant game in Memphis. We haven’t gotten one of these games from him in a while, I don’t know if it’s conditioning or what.
• 2:00 — Their defense honestly picked up after the first couple minutes. Lot of good possessions. Brooklyn just has too many 40-point halves to stay in ballgames, and it also allows their opponent to play in transition, which deflates their raw defensive numbers. But frankly, this is a pretty good (not great) NBA defense; you just need way more to win in this league.
• 00:00 — Their offensive process hasn’t been terrible, either. The Nets just can’t generate any looks at the rim, and with this roster, I’m not sure what Kevin Ollie is supposed to do about that. The threes aren’t falling; perhaps there are tired legs in the latter half of a B2B, but we’ve seen this movie before. I can’t say the Nets embarrassed themselves in this half, despite the 14-point deficit.

Third Quarter

• 10:00 — Alright, this one is over. Two minutes of high-level shot-making from Orlando can just bury a team like the Nets. If it sounds like I’m going easy on Brooklyn, maybe I am — this roster just doesn’t inspire high expectations. A Cam Thomas heater might have made this one interesting, but alas.
• 00:00 — Yeah, that sucked. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson obviously have to shoot better — plain and simple — if the Nets are going to compete in a game like this. I have an optimistic view of both in the long-term; this is just about the worst situation you could draw up for the two of them, a roster totally devoid of offensive talent, but I think they’ll be better for it in the long-run.

Johnson needs to develop an even quicker trigger from three on this team. He’s a limited ball-handler and shot-creator even on a roster with scoring threats around him. On the (pipe?) dream roster Brooklyn eventually wants to assemble, Johnson is a plus-offensive player with positional size (AKA not at the 4) and shooting. On this roster, it’s tough sledding.

I’m writing a longer article on Bridges’ season, but the way teams load up on him, he’d have to be an exceptional ball-handler and passer to get to the level many Nets fans expect him to be at. As in, Donovan Mitchell-level, who carried the Cleveland Cavaliers without Darius Garland for over a month. Bridges has to handle double-teams and traps better right now, but on a play like this, the pocket pass to Claxton or the skip across the court are each open for a half-a-second. His passing has improved greatly since he arrived in Brooklyn, but to this extent?

Fourth Quarter

• 10:00 — Sarah Kustok and Ryan Ruocco deserve better.

The Brooklyn Nets will try to save their season, or at least keep it interesting for another couple weeks, with two straight games at the Barclays Center vs. the Atlanta Hawks. Two losses should eliminate them from the Play-In Tournament chase, realistically, while two wins would give Nets fans a reason to keep tuning in.

Though after that loss to Orlando, after four blowout losses on a five-game road-trip, I’m not sure why you would want to.