NEW YORK — It’s going to take some time before it looks right.
The Nets are sitting on an offense with new philosophies, a defense with new schemes and a roster with new key players entering the rotation. With so many changes made during the offseason and training camp, the Nets were bound to experience some growing pains.
Nets coach Steve Nash admitted the preseason opener was full of them.
“We’ve got to go through this period where guys are learning to play with one another,” he said. “It’s not always going to be pretty and it’s gonna be a little bit ugly at times. ... So being able to slog through that and stay positive while we do have some growing pains, it’s just a part of the process.”
Nash called Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers “a mixed bag,” noting positives in the movement, pace and understanding of the newly installed offense — while also citing room to improve on the defensive end.
The Nets lost to a 76ers team that rested four key players including both Joel Embiid and James Harden, 127-108, in Ben Simmons’ debut against his former team. Each member of the Brooklyn Big 3 played in 19 of the 24 first-half minutes before sitting the second half.
In minutes where Nash deployed multiple lineups with either one, two or all three of his stars on the floor, the Nets dug a 20-point hole by the 8:13 mark of the second quarter — and then sliced Philly’s lead to just three at the half behind 13 points from Kevin Durant, 12 points from Nic Claxton and 11 points in a bright game for the newly acquired 3-and-D wing Royce O’Neale.
“Obviously, there were some ugly pockets of play, but there were also a lot of great stretches,” Nash said after Wednesday’s practice at the HSS Training Facility in Industry City. “We got to see the veterans in the first half, and they had some moments where they found some synergy and got closer to the kind of the principles we assigned them with early in [training] camp. And so everyday, we’ve got to get a little bit better at that.”
The Nets, however, picked up where they left off defensively last season.
The Sixers rested two potential MVP candidates, as well as role players PJ Tucker and Danuel House, but the Nets couldn’t keep spry guard Tyrese Maxey in check. Maxey had his way with Brooklyn’s defense, scoring 20 points in only 14 minutes with only two missed shots on eight attempts.
The Sixers as a team hung 42 points on the Nets in the first quarter alone and handily won the second half showdown between second units. Nash said staying disciplined is the biggest key to shoring up the defensive side of the ball.
“Discipline, though, comes from prioritizing defense,” he said. If you really take it seriously and you want to be a good defensive team or you want to defend, you will grow defensively. But if we let our foot off the gas there or we aren’t diligent with the importance of that end of the court, we’re not going to get much better. So it’s really on all of us to work together everyday to prioritize defense and keep building.”
Nash identified good health as a bright spot so far through training camp. Coming off of an injury riddled season, only Seth Curry (ankle) and TJ Warren (foot) missed the preseason opener. Nash is hopeful Curry will be good to go for one of the final two preseason games, but after missing two seasons with stress fractures in his left foot, Warren’s ramp-up will be a bit more cautious. He will be re-evaluated in November.
Aside from those two, the team is healthy and available: Simmons has returned after lower back surgery this offseason, Joe Harris has returned from two ankle surgeries that ended his season early last year and Kyrie Irving is back to playing in home games after missing a large chunk of last season due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Claxton has also put on more muscle and has improved his conditioning in what Nash detailed as an offseason where the fourth-year big man took “a more professional approach” to his craft.
“Right now we’re in a good position with our health, so you can see all the pieces and how they can eventually fit,” Nash said. “Now we’re trying to work on how those pieces can gain that cohesion as soon as possible. I’ve got a lot of great clips of us sharing the ball, playing quickly, making quick decisions, and then defensively, just getting back to making it a priority. We’ve got a lot of offensive guys in our group, and making sure that defense is just as important.”
