Brooklyn Nets: Was Opening Loss Reason For Worry?
Should the Brooklyn Nets be worried about their opening loss?
After one game, the Brooklyn Nets’ record sits at 0-1. A trip to Boston resulted in a blowout at the hands of the Celtics, the consequence of porous defense for Lionel Hollins‘ squad.
The panic meter is undoubtedly already seeing a bit of action early for the Nets, who looked incapable of stopping the Rajon Rondo-led Celtics and their band of young, developing players. Surely, it’s not a sign of what will happen all season long, but it’s worth noting following the loss of crucial pieces from last season such as Paul Pierce or Shaun Livingston.
Perhaps the most notable player missing from the contest against Boston was center Brook Lopez. After dealing with injury issues off and on throughout his career, including a season ending foot ailment last year, Lopez sat out the season opener with a soft-tissue problem in that surgically repaired foot. His issues are undoubtedly are a hot button topic for many fans of the Nets, and a big reason why people may be hopping off the bandwagon even before the first game was played.
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With Lopez, the Nets feature a potential dynamic combination of post presence and outside shooting. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams can be snipers from the outside, as well as all-around scorers that prevent such lopsided results from occurring. Without Lopez, the team becomes one-dimensional, and missing a dynamic piece in Shaun Livingston is not helping matters. The return of Lopez should help solidify the efforts on offense with a dose of shot altering for the defense; provided he can stay on the court.
The biggest change, and the one that causes the most worry in my eyes, is the loss of Shaun Livingston to the Golden State Warriors. With Livingston in the fold, the Nets had another playmaker and a guy they could make their primary ball-handler, allowing Deron Williams and Joe Johnson to focus on scoring. Without him, their offense becomes a bit more nerfed. His defense was solid also, with his ability to generate steals and disrupt opposing wings.
This club has not replaced that type of impact in the lineup, as evidenced by the season opening defeat. Rajon Rondo torched them for a near triple-double, while all but two of the players that participated for the Boston Celtics scored in double-figures. Clearly, they were missing something in both the heart of the defense and out on the perimeter.
It’s definitely too early for any team to give up on the season, and it’s the Eastern Conference we are talking about with regards to the Brooklyn Nets’ playoff chances. Still, it’s tough to do anything but lightly pencil them in for a playoff spot without knowing if Brook Lopez will be able to play deep into the season, and if another player will emerge to take on Shaun Livingston’s role on both offense and defense. Luckily, they have a good coach in Lionel Hollins who should figure a few things out sooner than later, and get this team on the right track.
It might be too early to start sounding the alarms, but there are definitely concerns with this Brooklyn Nets team.