Brooklyn Nets: Low On Name Recognition, High On Effort
By Adam McGee
Only two games into the season, the Brooklyn Nets are proving that they’ll fight every single night in spite of their collective talent.
As a league driven by the performances of big-name players, the NBA is often guilty of overlooking the ability of lesser knowns to outperform their skill as a collective.
At the top end of the scale every coaching decision is pored over and scrutinized, but the possibility of a team from the bottom being coached up beyond their level should never be dismissed out of hand.
If there’s any one lesson that should be learned from the opening four days of the 2016-17 season, it’s that the games are played for a reason. As trite and clichéd as that may sound, it was proven when the Spurs got the better of the Warriors on opening night, and it has been further proven in both of the Brooklyn Nets‘ hard-fought games in the time since.
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The Nets are not a good team on paper. They have some players who have had good NBA careers, like Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin, Luis Scola, Trevor Booker, but for the most part they’re offering something of an unknown quantity with the rest of their roster.
There’s an often overlooked element in what that can mean for a team, particularly when it’s built more on unproven younger talent than washed up veterans. The Nets have a roster full of players who have been given a chance. Second rounders who may have had to settle for D-League assignments elsewhere will get meaningful minutes to prove what they can do this year in Brooklyn.
The Nets are going to struggle, but completely dismissing them out of hand is disregarding the motivations of players with aspirations on long futures in the NBA, and a rookie head coach looking to leave his mark.
In many ways Kenny Atkinson is the perfect coach for a team of this ilk. Coming from a player development background, Atkinson will be finely attuned to what he and his staff have to do to get the most out of every player on the roster.
On top of that, having spent the most significant stretch of his coaching career along Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta, Atkinson understands the Spurs-ian model of getting the most out of the team as a unit.
Related Story: Brooklyn Nets: Kenny Atkinson Can Turn The Nets Around
Through two games so far, Atkinson and his players have to be given credit for getting the most out of what they have.
In their opener, Brooklyn faced the formidable prospect of heading to Boston to face the Celtics on Al Horford‘s home debut, and yet they almost spoiled the party. Down by as many as 16 heading into the fourth period, the Nets could have been forgiven for rolling over and resigning themselves to defeat against a team who many have picked for the East’s second spot this season.
Instead, Brooklyn came roaring back. Spurred on by a late charge from Bojan Bogdanovic, the Nets closed the gap to the point where with 46 seconds remaining, only three points separated the two teams. Sure, the Celtics prevailed, but the Nets made them work for it.
On Friday, the Pacers were the opponent for the first game of the season in the Barclays Center. Another team packed with recognizable NBA pros, the Pacers had already won their opener over Dallas, and up by seven heading into the final quarter looked all set for a 2-0 start.
The Nets again had other ideas, though. A late game surge saw the final quarter swing 31-15 in Brooklyn’s favor and the win was secure.
What’s clear from just two games of Brooklyn’s season is that they’re a well-organized team with a lot of heart. The Nets will fight to the end, as demonstrated by a collective fourth quarter score of 67-40 in their favor from their opening two games.
Next: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 1
Will the Nets lose a lot of games this year? Probably, but that’s not really the point. Brooklyn needs to build a culture and create an identity in the coming seasons. While that’s not going to be easy to begin with, showing up to compete on a nightly basis, regardless of talent, is a very good start.