The Brooklyn Nets (1-8) began the 2025-26 NBA season with a seven-game losing streak before winning their first game against an Indiana Pacers team that was missing eight players. Brooklyn looks to be at the beginning of what could be another tough season and after Friday’s 125-107 NBA Cup loss to the Detroit Pistons, it looks like the Nets may not be competing for a different kind of trophy.

Brooklyn, which is competing in Group B of the NBA Cup, is currently 0-1, along with the Philadelphia 76ers, as they look to compete for anything during this season, even if it’s the chance to go to Las Vegas. When it comes to who makes it out of each group for the NBA Cup, win-loss record as well as point differential matters, which is why Detroit sits at the top of the group with a 1-0 record and +18 point differential.

To be clear, the Nets still have a chance of getting to the Knockout Round of the NBA Cup, but they would have to be the team with essentially the fourth-best NBA Cup record in the Eastern Conference while finishing second in their own group. It’s still early in group play as Brooklyn still has to face the 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Boston Celtics as part of group play, but they will have to buckle down.

Ultimately, the Nets are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season so that will most likely mean that they will finish at the bottom of their NBA Cup group as well. Friday against the Pistons, the Nets were able to hang with Cade Cunningham and company in the first half, but the second half showed that Brooklyn will have to improve the roster if they hope to compete against some of the best teams in their conference.

It doesn’t bode well for the Nets that guard Cam Thomas will be out of action for the next three to four weeks as he rehabs from his latest left hamstring strain that he suffered in Wednesday’s win at the Pacers. The next time that Brooklyn will be playing in group play will be a matchup at the Magic on Friday, Nov. 14 where they will have to find a way to beat Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and the Magic.

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