Leylah Annie Fernandez on Steve Nash sitting in her box at the #usopen. pic.twitter.com/NtSN9vqBel
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 10, 2021
Nets Insider Videos
Kevin Durant fires back at fan questioning Antonio Brown's character with hilarious LeBron GIF
Kevin Durant doesn't pull any punches when it comes to social media.
Careful what you tweet because he may come for you.
When a fan questioned all the character issues Antonio Brown has had over the course of his career, the Nets star was having none of it.
It's opening night in the NFL and clearly everyone is paying attention, including some of the NBA's biggest star.https://t.co/TLE9iYdGUI pic.twitter.com/f8udTYMqp6
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 10, 2021
Kyrie Irving admits to past mistakes, points critics to personal growth
When healthy and on the court, Irving has proven to be an All-NBA caliber talent. Unfortunately for the Nets and their fans, the starting point guard was in and out of the lineup for a multitude of reasons.I just smile when I see and hear people bring up things that I have said or done in my past. lol I know I haven't always made the right choices, but I can definitely say that I have been able to learn and grow from them. Use me as an example kids, think before you speak and act. pic.twitter.com/Dx4yZ8fzyf
— A11Even (@KyrieIrving) September 10, 2021
Nets bench is rebuilt, but is it truly better than last season?
Yes, many think rookie Cam Thomas will burst onto the scene as evidenced by his NBA Summer league MVP showing as well as being regarded by scouts as this draft's top scorer.
Jevon Carter, acquired in a draft day trade with Phoenix and Nicholas Claxton are also part of the under 25 club coming off the bench, but their pathway to the court will likely be blocked by savvy veterans on a win-now team.#NBA2K22forXboxSeriesXS #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/MrMubU64X8
— Nets Insider (@NetsInsider1) September 9, 2021
Rookie Day'Ron Sharpe and a non guaranteed contract for DeAndre Bembry round out the end of the team's reserve spots.
A Nets'bench that was predominantly under age 28 outside of backup point guard Mike James, is now littered with 34 and older regular rotation players.
The experience factor is enormous when it comes up NBA playoff basketball, so by trading in unseasoned players for polished pros, Marks is hoping it provides enough of a boost to put Brooklyn over the top.
The Nets depth is better suited for short term success as Steve Nash and Marks have their sights set on delivering a title to Barclays Center.
NBA2K22 Gameplay leak: Nets demolish Bucks in opening night matchup
NBA 2K22 is set to launch Friday September 10, 2021. Nets Insider has an exclusive look at the newest release for Xbox Series X. The battle of the Eastern heavyweights wasn't even a contest.
As evidenced by the 86-50 romping by Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets over the Milwaukee Bucks, it appears the shot meter issues are a thing of the past.#NBA2K22forXboxSeriesXS #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/vHo61igDjc
— Nets Insider (@NetsInsider1) September 9, 2021
Smoother shooting mechanics and more fluid gameplay make this year's version a less clunky version of those in year's past.#NBA2K22forXboxSeriesXS #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/tet9uZSP6B
— Nets Insider (@NetsInsider1) September 9, 2021
The Bucks and Nets are set to do battle in Milwaukee on opening night October 19, so if this simulation is any indication of how that game will go, Brooklyn Nets fans will be restarts with the results.#NBA2K22forXboxSeriesXS #XboxShare pic.twitter.com/MrMubU64X8
— Nets Insider (@NetsInsider1) September 9, 2021
Utter domination of the @bucks by the @BrooklynNets in @NBA2K. More gameplay clips to come. Stay tuned to https://t.co/FFbt86Beqf pic.twitter.com/eUjChvO3f5
— Nets Insider (@NetsInsider1) September 9, 2021
Nets can't make this mistake again if they hope to fulfill title expectations
In the playoffs head coach Steve Nash forgot what got his team through a regular season that saw the Big Three play only a handful of games together.
With Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving grabbing headlines, endorsement deals and leading in jersey sales, it was the contributions from the Nets' bench and unheralded players that catapulted the team to 48 regular season wins, good enough for the number two seed in the East.
Many of the projected bench players were thrust into starting roles including Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, while Landry Shamet, Mike James, Tyler Johnson and Nicholas Claxton played meaningful minutes.
Outside of Brown, not a single one of those players is returning to Brooklyn this upcoming season. The group that brought the energy and enthusiasm off the bench was used sparingly in the second round ousting by Milwaukee with Harden hurt and Irving out.
Nash showed a lack of trust in those players to rise to the occasion in the big moments and that was a major reason why Brooklyn came up a shoe size short.
The reality is, Nash and evidently general manager Sean Marks, wanted to shuffle the deck on the bench and moved in the direction of over the hill veterans with just enough in the tank to move the needle.
Enter Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge at 36 years old will be viable options for Brooklyn's head man if relegated to bench duties.
There are now zero excuses for why the coaching staff will not utilize its depth with decorated veterans waiting at the scorers table.
If Nash and company aim to get to the top of the NBA mountain, the second year coach will need to learn from his mistakes and entrust his bench to get the job done in big moments.
As Nets' fans anxiously wait for crucial extensions for Irving, Harden, is it trouble in paradise for Brooklyn?
Twenty days.
Twenty days.
That's exactly how long the Brooklyn Nets, specifically general manager Sean Marks has to lock up Kyrie Irving and James Harden on long term extensions.
The Nets are normally tight lipped, but disclosing contract terms as per team policy and are mum on injury updates and roster moves.
So while it's been two months since the Nets playoff elimination at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kevin Durant's extension is in the books, but not his second and third co stars.
There's been nothing but cohesion between Brooklyn's big three and Marks and Steve Nash have maintained a great rapport with the players, so any kind of front office rift can be immediately ruled out.
Marks had to do some maneuvering this off-season, principally finding a trading partner for the seldom used DeAndre Jordan to free up cap space and lesson the tax ramifications related to his bloated contract.
Harden and Irving have been busy recuperating from an injured filled season while giving back to the community with time and charity events meaningful to them.
It's not panic time just yet to iron out extensions, but some unease will quickly turn for the worse if Marks and company don't put the finishing touches on a great off-season.
Like Jarrett Allen before him, Nicolas Claxton's development will be stymied behind Nets' grizzled vets
Just ask Jarrett Allen what it's like to be on a championship team and stand behind a former All Star waiting for a true opportunity to shine.
That's the exact same conundrum facing Nicolas Claxton, who is entering his third year with the Nets and behind not one, but three former All-Stars.
The young 7-footer has shown serious flashes of being a viable option to hold down the starting center position in the near future, but the presence of Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and even Paul Millsap have created even more roadblocks in his quest for more minutes and game experience.
Brooklyn is in win-now mode, with championship or bust expectations. The reality is, Claxton will be a casualty of the Nets urgent situation to pursue a title.
It's not to say that Claxton won't garner runtime on the court, but the lion's share of the minutes will belong to the afforementioned trio of vets. In a league where prototypical centers try desperately to stay on the court with three and d schemes stretching the floor, it will be an uphill battle for Claxton.
The third year pro is not a perimeter shooting threat, but an effective rim runner, inside scorer and rim protector.
While Aldridge, Griffin, Millsap and even Bruce Brown stand between Claxton and the court, the Nets planned load management for Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving along with aging players across the roster could prove just enough to get Claxton his due time.
After free agent frenzy, Nets' starting center role is this player's to lose
Adding LaMarcus Aldridge and Paul Millsap to the Nets frontcourt means Steve Nash will have flexibility and blue chip options to hold down the five spot for Brooklyn.
Bruce Brown has also run as the designated big in the Nets' small ball lineup, but based on scheme fit and last year's body of work, Blake Griffin is the clear cut best option to start at center on a nightly basis.
Griffin, 32, shot a career high 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and played with exceptional energy and intensity to bring intangibles into the equation.
Aldridge and Millsap at 36 will have a chance to complete, but at advanced ages and with prototypical bigs seeing their minutes decrease across the league in favor of the three-and-d movent, Griffin becomes the obvious choice.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks of the world and Philadelphia 76ers where the Nets will need all big men on deck to battle against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embid respectively.
Nash and company are much better suited to compete with the East's top teams as aforementioned, but don't need to reinvent the wheel based on the success the team had last year with Griffin in the starting lineup.
CP3 pays James Harden the highest compliment an NBA player can ask for
Chris Paul played alongside James Harden for two years in the Houston Rockets' backcourt, so if anyone knows how lethal a scoring the current Nets guard can be it's the point God himself.
Is James Harden the best scorer in the NBA? pic.twitter.com/gUBNR8Tndr
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2021