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Nets 3-1 preseason record masking team's clear deficiencies

 



Bill Parcells once said, "you are what your record says you are."

So while the Brooklyn Nets won three out of four during the preseason, a Maddenism comes to mind that rings true for this squad. 

"Winning is the greatest deodorant". 

Clearly, win/loss records are not an indicator of success in the preseason where starters play limited minutes while coaches have the opportunity to evaluate the roster top to bottom.

The Nets had great contributions from Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and a plethora of guys on an individual basis. 

The most disconcerting trend of the preseason was Brooklyn's abysmal transition defense and lack of a paint and rim protector. 

The Nets were among the lowest scoring offenses last season and are banking on the addition of Julius Randle and Brown Jr. to bolster that weak point. 

Brooklyn has volume scorers, but they'll need to outscore teams this season if there's any hope of reaching or exceeding the .500 mark. 

Sean Marks will need to look outside the organization to find big men to complement Day'Ron Sharpe and Mo Wagner. 

Based on the Nets brutal early season schedule and the warts on defense that have shown up this preseason, it could be a long season for Brooklyn. 


First Annual 'Nets Fest' features alum from all eras

Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez 


 The Brooklyn Nets may have just started a yearly tradition for fans of all ages. 

The Owens Community Center in Brooklyn was the site of the first ever "Nets Fest" with fans getting an opportunity to get autographs and sit in on panels with former players, including: Buck Williams, Albert King, Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and more. 

Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

Current Nets, Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., Julius Randle, Ben Humrichous, Jordi Fernandez, and others were in attendance as well.

 

Many took part in a youth clinic with the next gen of players and fans learning from the pros. 


Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

A good time was had by all reminiscing about yesteryear and honoring the franchise's history. 

It was a monumental night for the Nets and one that many hope will continue for years to come. 


Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

Perhaps next year a bigger venue will be required to accommodate more fans and staying away from a Football Sunday in a time slot when the Jets and Giants are playing will only increase the fan engagement. 

'Nets Fest' this Sunday will feature appearances by NJ Nets greats




 It took 14 seasons in the borough of Brooklyn to honor and acknowledge the Nets history prior to the move, but better late than never. 

The Nets will be holding "Nets Fest" this Sunday and it will certainly have some New Jersey Nets flare. 



The Nets are partly honoring their history due to the Knicks taking over the New York City market. 

With watch parties during the NBA Finals being held in the shadow of Barclays Center, it became clear to the Nets public relations staff and marketing department that they needed to go back and cater to their loyal fans in both New Jersey and Long Island.



The Nets missed a major opportunity to become a regional team with roots in Long Island and New Jersey, but now on the heels of the Knicks championship, this harkening back to earlier eras may be a blessing in disguise for a franchise still struggling for an identity. 
on October 01, 2026 by -Rick Laughland | Nets Insider  | Leave a comment 

Stewart, Jones, Ionescu Combine for 60 as Liberty Knock Off Lynx



The No. 8 seed New York Liberty took the court on Tuesday night to face off with the No. 1 seed, Minnesota Lynx.

 Off the backs of strong performances from Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty sent the top-ranked team in the WNBA playoffs packing with a two-game sweep, 87-71.

The upset capped one of the weirdest paths to the semifinals, maybe ever. It was surprising that New York was able to finish the season the way they did with a 26-18 record. Their regular season was marred by injuries and a lot of inconsistent play. 

On the other hand, Minnesota ended their season with a league-best record of 33-11. However, once the series between these teams arrived, it became hard to tell who was No.1 and who was No. 8.

Starting with Breanna Stewart, she had quite the last couple of games. Coming off her Game 1 performance, where she notched 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks, Stewart once again proved to be a difference-maker for New York.

In Game 2, Stewart tallied equally impressive numbers, including 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

A major positive for Stewart in Game 2, as opposed to Game 1, was her turnovers, or lack thereof. In Game 1, despite a magical game, she had a game-leading five turnovers. 

Fast forward to Tuesday, Stewart only managed to have two, a fairly steep drop-off heading in the right direction. 

However, her shooting took a minor step back as she just connected on six of her 16 shots, for 38%, as opposed to 11-for-18 in Game 1, for 61%. However, thankfully, while Stewart may not have scored a ton, she once again had a lot of help from the dominant Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu.

In Game 1, Jones had a rather quiet outing. She finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block, to her credit. Jones took a giant leap forward and had a monstrous performance in Game 2, tallying 21 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and a block. 

Jones also shot the ball extremely well and was excellent cleaning up the glass, tallying six offensive rebounds.

After having a game she'd probably like to forget in Game 1, Sabrina Ionescu got back on track in Game 2, picking up 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Ionescu's seven assists were a game-best, and her three steals were tied for a game-best.

The Liberty also had the benefit of experience, with Stewart, Jones, and Ionescu all playing major roles on New York's 2024 championship team. They were at the center of the franchise's first title run, and again when the stakes rose this week.

The Liberty made history, becoming the first WNBA team ever to be ranked as a No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. This win saw the Liberty become the favorites to win the WNBA Championship this season. With this sweep, the Liberty are set to face either the Atlanta Dream or the Washington Mystics. 

Preseason opener in doubt for Nets' prized rookie



 The Brooklyn Nets open the preseason slate on October 6 at the Spectrum Center as they take on the Charlotte Hornets. 

They'll likely being doing so without number 6 overall pick from the 2026 NBA draft in Mikel Brown Jr. 

The Nets point guard tweaked his ankle this past week and is currently working his way back to full health as the team opens up training camp. 

Sean Marks and the training staff are notoriously conservative in ramping up injured players and getting back onto the court. The rookie will need to clear a number of benchmarks, despite the injury not being a serious concern in the bigger picture.  

Brown Jr. missed large portions of the Louisville Cardinals season during his freshman year with a lower back injury. His inability to stay on the court likely saw his draft stock take a hit and fall outside the top four and land in the Nets' lap. 

Beyond his health ailments, Brown Jr. has a high ceiling as a scorer and facilitator, while he generates enough gravity offball to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. 

In a physically and emotionally demanding league that runs an 82-game schedule, it will be intriguing to see whether the former Louisville standout has the durability to not just survive but thrive in the NBA. 

So, while Nets fans are chomping at the bit to see the flashy 19-year-old toe the hardwood, they may need to wait a bit longer for him to make his preseason debut. 

The Nets have a total of four preseason contests before gearing up for the October 21 opener with the Hornets at Barclays Center. 


Michael Porter Jr. doubles down on absurd prediction for upcoming season




 Leave it up to Michael Porter Jr. to make headlines. 

Earlier in the off-season, the Nets shooting forward raised a lot of eyebrows with his comments that the team would win 50 games.

 

Brooklyn went into tank mode in 2025-26 and won merely 20 games with the hopes of securing the top pick. 

The Nets dropped to the number 6 pick and selected Mikel Brown Jr. out of Louisville. 

While veterans Julius Randle, Mo Wagner and Porter Jr. will certainly help bring experience, it's absurd to think that Brooklyn will more than double its win total in a more competitive Eastern Conference. 

An unfiltered Porter Jr. is never shy to touch a number of topics, but now he's set the bar far too high for this young Nets squad. 

A realistic number of wins to shoot for would likely be around 40 and to hover around the .500 mark

Even that might be somewhat ambitious, given this young group that needs to learn to play together and develop chemistry. 

It's always great to have veteran leadership and high expectations, but it seems that Porter Jr is writing checks that his team probably can't cash. 


Nets face prospect of disastrous start to season




 One look up and down the Brooklyn Nets early season schedule and it's clear wins may be few and far between for Jordi Fernandez and crew. 


CBSSports.com

Brooklyn will be facing some Eastern Conference heavyweights in the early stretch, followed by a trip to the Lone Star State to round out a grueling 10 game opening schedule. 

Many pundits are expecting the Nets to be in the play-in hunt after tanking the 2025-26 season. 

Ironically, the Eastern Conference is stacked with playoff contenders, and the Nets will have an uphill climb to even crack the top eight teams. 

So while Nets fans are looking forward to a more competitive team, with proven veteran leadership, it may not necessarily translate to many more wins this year. 


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