Brooklyn Nets: 3 Straight Wins A Turning Point?
By Adam McGee
The holiday season can be grueling when it comes to the world of sport, but to the Brooklyn Nets it has been kind this year. With a win over the Boston Celtics in TD Garden Friday night, Brooklyn completed a three-game winning streak for the first time this season.
It’s a run of form that was timely to say the least as well. Even after picking up three straight wins, the Nets only find themselves in the eighth seed in the East, clinging on to their playoff aspirations as we edge ever closer to the true business end of the season.
The run of form is likely to boost confidence and morale around the franchise too, but can it prove to be a turning point?
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Well, let’s first consider the opposition. The Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics aren’t exactly teams packed with elite talent, yet on the other hand, it’s not as if the teams Brooklyn are realistically going up against are at a much higher level anyway.
To put it simply, these three games signal a rare sight, Brooklyn beating teams that they should be expected to beat. The only question now is whether such a business-like approach to taking care of teams of similar or inferior talent is sustainable.
The reality is that it might be, but it would take some bold moves to find out for certain.
Throughout this three-game stretch there has been a couple of constants for Brooklyn that represent a change from the Nets’ performances from earlier in the season. Firstly, with opportunities limited due to injuries, neither Brook Lopez nor Deron Williams have started any of the three games.
With the Nets reported to be working on finding potential trade partners for these two, this should catch the attention of many Nets fans.
Secondly, and more constructive even, is if we focus on the players who have been playing though, and to do that we need to look closer at the contributions of Mason Plumlee and Jarrett Jack.
Plumlee and Jack have been a key part of the upper echelons of the Nets’ bench rotation throughout the season, but since they’ve taken to the floor as starters, their performances have transformed completely.
Plumlee is a player who has been mentioned in many of the trade rumors involving Brooklyn, yet after having a strong rookie season, Plumlee is showing signs that he may improve upon his play even further in this campaign.
In his three recent starts, the 24-year-old has achieved a double-double in each game, all the while posting averages of 18 points and 12.3 rebounds in that stretch.
Jack has had the same type of impact in Williams’ place. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket is running the show for Brooklyn from the point guard spot, and so far the opposition have had few answers.
Jack is averaging 19.6 points, four rebounds and 7.6 assists. With numbers of that quality, it’s only natural for Deron Williams to start to feel nervous. With a change in fortune in terms of the team’s results, are these two changes that the Nets’ should look to investigate on a more permanent basis?
It may be impossible to know whether it could yield results in the long-term, but having broken the team’s poor run, the least that Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee deserve is an extended chance at being the key guys.