Brooklyn Nets Searching for Spark in Season's Second Half
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Another season, another underwhelming first half. That seems the be the way it goes for the 18-27 Brooklyn Nets these days.
The Nets had gotten off to slow starts two years in a row coming into this season. They were 10-21 through 31 games last year. They started in mediocrity two seasons ago, a 16-15 beginning. But doesn't this year feel different?
Most importantly, we're further into the season than we were when Brooklyn had those two struggling starts. That 10-21 team was 20-25 through 45 games and was just about to get on a roll. The 16-15 squad, meanwhile, was 27-18 through 45.
These Nets are nine games under .500 and losers of 11 of their past 13 contests. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here, but at least we saw some progress Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, even if it was in a 113-102 loss.
It's about baby steps at this point, especially after coming off back-to-back 35-plus point losses to the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
"I thought early on, we played really well," point guard Deron Williams explained when asked about Wednesday night's loss in Atlanta. "We jumped on it that first quarter. We got a lot of deflections. We were really active."
The Nets did actually play better defense, and they looked more refined on the other end of the floor, too.
"I thought we just had a bit more energy," center Brook Lopez said of the Hawks game. "The ball was popping a bit more, moving around. We got good looks."
Brooklyn assisted on two-thirds of its made baskets against Atlanta, well above the league and team average.
"I think the ball was moving," said Williams. "It seems like it's been kind of a constant thing where we get stagnant. And that's this year, going back to even last year."
Even so, it feels kind of murky being this positive after a loss. But that's where we are with this team.
It's not just about the 3-11 January record or the continual brutality of the schedule. If the Nets can't pull out a Friday night win at Barclays against the first-place Toronto Raptors, they'll go winless at home for the entire month.
You know how they say a team needs a top-10 defense and a top-10 offense to be a true championship contender? Well, the Nets have been the exact opposite of that since the calendar turned over to 2015, ranking 27th in both points per possession and points allowed per possession in January.
That's probably why the team has latched onto this Hawks loss as such a positive, even if it is, you know, a loss. When you're reeling on both ends of the floor and coming off two games in which you got absolutely manhandled, you have to find some positive out there. This game was the Nets' unfortunate but real glimmer on an otherwise dark slate.
Still, we've seen some good even if the schedule doesn't imply there will be hope on the horizon (the Nets play the Raptors, Clippers, then the Raptors again in their next three).
Lopez has been spectacular, coming mostly off the bench in limited playing time, averaging 21.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per 36 minutes since Dec. 29. He's even swatted 2.5 shots per 36 in that time. But even with such production, Lopez probably won't get more minutes.
That's not because Mason Plumlee and Kevin Garnett are blocking him. It's not because Lionel Hollins "hates" him either, as some fans so dramatically propose. It's totally possible the injury-plagued Lopez isn't capable of playing more than his allotted 25.6 minutes a night during this stretch.
"Of course I've seen progression," said Hollins of Lopez's improvement since a slow start to the season. "Brook's gotten in shape. He's more confident. He's got his rhythm back."
The Nets actually do have a realistic chance to boost their record once the injured Williams returns, though how much better they'll get remains to be seen.
Williams hasn't played since Jan. 4—aside from trying to come back for four minutes in a game against the Boston Celtics—after a suffering a rib injury against the Miami Heat. He did, however, participate in a small part of contact drills during Thursday's practice. He's still ruled out for the immediate future but is inching his way back to full health.
Williams isn't what he used to be and takes a bunch of deserved flak, but he's still better than what the Nets have coming off the bench at the point guard position. Getting Darius Morris, a man more familiar with 10-day contracts than he is with consistent NBA playing time, out of the rotation will be a plus alone. Add in that the guy coming back is a top-20ish point guard, and you have yourself a massive upgrade.
It's not just about playing quality, either.
Jarrett Jack, who's averaged more than 36 minutes a night since Williams last played, can have a little more rest now. Same thing with Joe Johnson, who is clearly playing through some fatigue at age 33. Simply, it helps round out the guard rotation.
You could argue Brooklyn's best chance at a roster upgrade would be dealing one of their stars, something they've been trying to do for some time now.
Who knows what trades happen considering the environment of this team? Who knows who stays or who goes or who comes in to save the day? Realistically though, the Nets wouldn't be upgrading in selling off any of their big names, likely receiving cents on the dollar for one of their bloated contracts regardless of what swap they make.
Hope for a momentous run at the end of the year seems unrealistic, but there are always ways to improve at the margins.
Defensive consistency is one of those ways. So is the roster returning to full health. Only a half-game back of the Charlotte Hornets, the Nets still have a shot at the No. 8 seed. Now, all they need to do is capitalize.
Fred Katz averaged almost one point per game in fifth grade but maintains that his per-36-minute numbers were astonishing. Find more of his work on ESPN's TrueHoop Network at ClipperBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FredKatz.
All quotes obtained firsthand. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are current as of Jan. 29 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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