NETS INSIDER

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 fo...

  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 g...

 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. Nets F Michael Porter Jr. on his statement that Brooklyn could win 50 games this season: "Why not shoot for the stars? I think that the reason a lot of NBA players are where they are is from having delusional confidence... People can clown that answer all they want." — Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) September 28, 2026   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 ...

 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.  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. 

  Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn!  Hello, Brooklyn!  That's all long-time Nets fans were force-fed when the franchise relocated to Brooklyn ahead of the 2012-13 season. Founded as charter members of the ABA, the then-New Jersey Americans played their first season at the Teaneck Armory.  The team then shifted to Long Island and played at three different arenas over eight seasons, playing in three ABA Finals, and winning two championships.   Julius Erving served as the poster child for those teams and the ABA. Overall, there were more than a few seminal moments in the franchise's history. Upon the ABA- NBA merger, the Nets were forced to sell off Erving to offset merger fees and territorial rights fees paid to the Knicks.  The team spent 35 total seasons in the Garden State, including qualifying for the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals with Jason Kidd leading the charge. So while there were more disappointment moments than proud ones to that point in time, upon th...

 The Brooklyn Nets have a problem on their hands. He wears #17 for the Black and White, but the urgency to trade this player has nothing to do with his on-court performance.  Michael Porter Jr. hasn't been shy in dabbling in a variety of controversial topics.  Most recently, Porter publicized a sit-down interview with an adult film star that must have caused angst with the powers that be in Brooklyn.  Many of the points of discussion are not kid nor family friendly, but a quick search of his media tour of interviews, and it won't take long to come across an eye-popping or mind-numbing discussion.  The Nets public relations department, according to Porter Jr., has requested that he steer clear of certain polarizing topics that would attract negative attention to him and to the team for the wrong reasons. For a brief time last year, he complied with those wishes. All that went out the window this offseason with an unfiltered Porter Jr. openly discussing sensitive ...

The Brooklyn Nets are making a concerted effort to honor their history and to reach out to their fans. That's what happens when you spend the better part of the last two seasons tanking.  In fact, with the Knicks raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, the Nets of becoming afterthought in their own market.  Now, not by choice, but by circumstance, the Nets are holding theme nights to honor their ABA Roots, two ABA Title teams, as well as legendary runs as the New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals. The franchise is taking it a step further by holding a Nets fest event that will be free for fans.     🗣️ BROOOOKLYN Pull up October 4 at Major Owens Community Center, for the first-ever Nets Fest, presented by @Ticketmaster ! See the squad, enjoy activities for the whole fam, catch special appearances from Nets alumni + more 👀 Tickets available tomorrow at 10am →… pic.twitter.com/G1CXQvtspO — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) September 14, 2026 Now the question remains, will...

  NBA2K27 is chock-full of goodies for fans of all 30 NBA teams. From MyCAREER to MyTEAM to My NBA, there isn't a shortage of features and in-depth game modes.  For Nets fans, a first look at rookie Mikel Brown Jr. will likely make any Brooklynite giddy. The Louisville product's smooth release and lightning quick speed are apparent from the get-go.  Those looking for a touch of nostalgia can toy around with the 2001-02 New Jersey Nets. Yes, Jason Kidd's first season with the franchise was a storybook tale.  The game isn't without its shortcomings and while the overall visuals are impressive, the pregame presentation is laughably bad in some regards. (Yes, we're talking about this rendition of the National Anthem). 

By enlarged, Sean Marks has built a roster full of promising, young talent with a keen eye on building for a sustainable future.  Between a backcourt of Egor Demin and Mikel Brown, a talented backup guard in Nolan Traore and intriguing but raw bigs in Joshua Jefferson and Danny Wolf, things are looking on the way back up in the borough.  Ironically, two of the most experienced and talented players are playing for future contracts likely somewhere else.  Enter Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. Both guys are walking buckets, but they're also highly inefficient scorers.  They will likely command a big extension that neither fits the timeline or ideal cap situation that Marks is trying to maintain.  This begs the question, why are they still on the roster? Porter Jr. hasn't been shy in being outspoken about a number of controversial topics that has his own PR team pulling it's hair out.  Brooklyn will have acquired Randle as a glorified rental this season....