strategy behind<\/a> Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s Brooklyn\u2019s blitz-heavy defense early in the season, but with this current effort and attention to detail, any coverage would be getting torched. Then, when asked what the veteran leaders must do to prevent Brooklyn from spiraling (toward better NBA Draft lottery odds), Porter Jr. said: \u201cSomething\u2019s gotta change, I think, in terms of maybe the groups that are on the floor together or certain things. Because we\u2019re having good runs, and then we\u2019re letting go of the rope and then teams are going on runs. But our job is to show up here and work hard and go out on the floor and give our full effort and the rest is up to the coaches and we trust them.\u201d<\/p>\nIt\u2019s difficult to fully parse Porter Jr\u2019s responses. As is well demonstrated, the highest-paid Net loves to think aloud, great news for reporters. If he has spare thoughts \u2014 even just inquisitive ones \u2014 about scheme and rotations, we want to hear them. But after five games, the gap between the #12 and #29 ranked defenses is the same as the gap between the #29 ranked defense and the league-worst Brooklyn Nets. Read that again.<\/p>\n
If there was ever a time for some \u201cwe have to be better\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s on us\u201d veteran clich\u00e9s, Wednesday night was that time. Lastly, I asked Porter Jr. the following: \u201cIn your experience, what are the things that \u2014 you know, it\u2019s only been five games \u2014 that don\u2019t fully form yet for a team, things that really change and grow over the course of the season?\u201c<\/p>\n
The answer that followed: \u201cI think it starts off with the point guard spot. It\u2019s really hard to win in the NBA when, you know, we have a lot of rookie point guards who are going to be great in this league for a long time, but they\u2019re still rookies, and this game five against and they\u2019re matching up. I think the point guard position may be the hardest position in the game and we got a lot of young guys playing that position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Porter Jr. is right. It is damn near impossible to be an additive NBA player as a 19-year-old rookie point guard, and the Nets have three* of those guys, two of whom are receiving rotation minutes out of the gate. (*We\u2019ll ultimately see what Egor D\u00ebmin is.) Perhaps Porter is looking around the room, seeing by far the least talented NBA team he\u2019s ever played on, and trying to offer some optimism by promising rookie growth. t<\/p>\n
And yet, Brooklyn\u2019s offense has actually been slightly above league-average with either Ben Saraf or Egor D\u00ebmin on the court, which is to say, most of the time. For all their deficiencies, it\u2019s tough to say they are the main culprits of Brooklyn\u2019s 0-5 start considering nobody has played much defense on this team. Hell, the majority of Nolan Traore\u2019s 30 career minutes have come only after Brooklyn\u2019s main units find themselves down by 25 or so.<\/p>\n
Does this MPJ comment \u2014 an answer to a question that did not invoke the rookies \u2014 really matter? I don\u2019t know, maybe. Erik Slater of ClutchPoints posted the video above; at the time of writing, it has over two million views on X\/Twitter. It just seems odd that Egor D\u00ebmin could watch his veteran teammates play insultingly bad defense all night only to open his phone after the game and see the highest-paid of them imply he is a main reason the team is 0-5?<\/p>\n
Or is that too moralistic? Point being, I\u2019m about to outline what we\u2019ve seen from Egor D\u00ebmin, Ben Saraf, and Nolan Traore thus far. Most of it has not been great. But the rookies are not why the Brooklyn Nets have been so dreadful to start the year.<\/p>\n
This is the first edition of the (hopefully weekly) Rookie Report, your one-stop shop for following the progress of the Flatbush 5 this season, one of the most critical draft classes in Nets history. Though the preambles will grow shorter, the true content will hopefully grow longer the rookies get healthier and see more minutes.<\/p>\n
Season stats: 4 GP, 20.5 MPG, 7.5\/4.0\/2.5 slash line, 41\/41\/75 shooting splits (no 2PA). 2 TO + 2.8 PF + 0.5 stocks (stl+blk) per game.<\/p>\n
With 22 threes and zero twos attempted, D\u00ebmin is just two long-balls away from breaking the NBA record for most consecutive 3-pointers attempted without a 2-pointer to begin a career, a feat saved by the Charlotte Hornets scorekeeper (rightfully, I think) counting this as an assist\u2026<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the good news: Egor D\u00ebmin still looks like he can shoot the ball. He\u2019s 9-of-22 from three, and most of his misses look good, too. When he gets an open catch-and-shoot three, the ball feels like it\u2019s going down; he\u2019ll draw frantic closeouts at the NBA level.<\/p>\n
Outside of the shooting, it\u2019s been expectedly tough sledding for the Russian teenager. D\u00ebmin has gotten ripped trying to bring up the ball up the court a handful of times already, and while he\u2019s long pledged to live in the weight room, strength isn\u2019t the issue. The #8 overall pick can\u2019t shake defenders right now, and as a primary ball-handler, his height is a challenge: shorter on-ball defenders can sit underneath his dribble, underneath his hips, and swipe at him. These plays have little to do with a lack of strength\u2026<\/p>\n
It\u2019d be nice to see D\u00ebmin force the issue a bit more when running pick-and-roll. He can\u2019t undergo a physical transformation overnight, but he will never be a plus-athlete with that lack of explosion\/wiggle. (See: two stocks to 11 fouls.) Still. it\u2019s never to early to start figuring out solutions, whether it\u2019s a pivot game or an in-between game or some handle combinations he\u2019s comfortable with; right now, D\u00ebmin probably can\u2019t put much pressure on a defense, but he\u2019s also not trying to\u2026<\/p>\n
To that end, I\u2019m surprised by how little Brooklyn\u2019s coaching staff has helped him out. Part of this, surely, is the fact that D\u00ebmin missed most of training camp and the preseason with that plantar fascia issue, but through five games, there has been little organized offense ran for him. Cam Johnson is, of course, a way more accomplished NBA player, but he has a similar build with similar athletic limitations, and Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s staff did everything they could to put him in favorable situations last season\u2026<\/p>\n
Egor D\u00ebmin is a fascinating first centerpiece to this rebuild, not just because he\u2019s the best interview and most talkative guy on the team. (He dressed up as Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender for Halloween.) He cannot create advantages with a live dribble, but he\u2019s already shown the processing ability Brooklyn fell in love with; how those two qualities come together, I do not know, but at least he\u2019s already made a couple great plays\u2026<\/p>\n
When asked about his short-term goals at practice Friday, D\u00ebmin said: \u201cI think, just trying to get to the paint as much as I can and to get these angles, not going around the player, but through and getting to the paint on two feet. Looking for finishing or the sprays, and just being more aggressive on the pick-and-roll, using the setups and after that, obviously, using our big as a gravity for the help.\u201d<\/p>\n
The main challenge so far? \u201cProbably just physicality. Physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Season stats: 5 GP, 18.2 MPG, 3.2\/2.2\/3.2 slash line, 21.7\/16.7\/66.7 shooting splits, 1.6 TO + 2.6 PF + 0.4 stocks (stl+blk) per game.<\/p>\n
Ben Saraf is the first #26 overall pick to start the first game of his rookie season since Vonteego Cummings in 1999. He has started all five games so far, but he has struggled mightily. Saraf played just a dozen minutes in the game Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez tried hardest to win, Wednesday\u2019s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, (wherein Fern\u00e1ndez started switching Nic Claxton out on the perimeter rather than trapping, a tactic all of Claxton\u2019s head coaches have deployed when the rubber hits the road).<\/p>\n
Saraf is listed at 6\u20196\u201d, has a wealth of professional experience overseas, and is the most physically developed with the tightest handle of the three point guards Brooklyn drafted in June. This does not mean his transition to the NBA would be easy, though; he is still a relatively poor athlete with a jumper defenses decidedly do not respect. Hence the spooky stat line.<\/p>\n
Like D\u00ebmin, he has also committed 11 fouls to just two stocks. Wednesday night against Atlanta was his roughest showing on the defensive end; he struggled to make timely closeouts, rotations, and to fight through screens. While that was all to be expected for the 19-year-old, his struggles from the field are eyebrow-raising. Before the season, I wrote:<\/p>\n
Saraf is going to have to do most of his damage at the rim, no matter where his career takes him. If he can approach a 60% conversion rate (55% might be more realistic) in the restricted area and supplant that with a high foul-drawing rate, that will be cause for celebration.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too early to put any stock into the numbers \u2014 Saraf is currently shooting 1-of-7 at the rim \u2014 but it\u2019s clear the athleticism adjustment will be a big one for him. On this play, he shakes Clint Capela with a little jab step, trying to fly immediately to the rim\u2026<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no outside shooter readily open, the take itself is fine. But we\u2019ll see if Saraf can adjust to NBA-level defense in the paint, and how well he can counter their physicality\/athleticism with pure craft.<\/p>\n
On the plus-side, he\u2019s already shown some off-ball utility. I like this cut to the paint and attempted alley-oop that he just leaves a little bit short\u2026<\/p>\n
Saraf will need to shoot (and improve on defense) no matter how much he has the ball in his hands. But despite the lack of statistical production, it\u2019s clear that his feel for the game is off to a fine start. That\u2019s at least something.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t include Nolan Traore\u2019s stats in good faith yet; he\u2019s only played 30 career minutes over two games, most of them coming in garbage time. At the very least, he\u2019s looked like the quickest defender of the three point guards and has two of his five 3-point attempts. Anecdotally, his catch-and-shoot ball doesn\u2019t look quite as smooth as D\u00ebmin\u2019s, but noticeably better than Saraf\u2019s does. Hooray?<\/p>\n
Traore, who has already taken a couple car rides from Industry City to Uniondale, should probably familiarize himself with the Belt Parkway. He and Danny Wolf were not at practice on Friday, instead scrimmaging with Long Island Nets.<\/p>\n
\u201cDevelopment doesn\u2019t stop,\u201d said Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cAnd you know, there\u2019s different different layers to it, there\u2019s different avenues. And I think that, you know, that\u2019s great for them now to get a higher volume, more scrimmaging right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Traore\u2019s areas for growth seem clear, even after just 30 NBA minutes\u2026<\/p>\n
That first play is probably a foul, but Traore has to dribble through that weak dig at the 3-point line. Really, he has to extend that handle as much as possible to get the most out of his small frame.<\/p>\n
On the second play, he misses a floater over Ryan Kalkbrenner; teams with capable big man will dare Traore to beat them in the intermediate area. He\u2019ll either need to develop that pull-up jumper forcing them to get up to the level, or some counters that maximize his speed closer to the basket. Alas, this is nothing we didn\u2019t know previously, and with Traore presumably on Long Island for much of the season, he\u2019ll have ample opportunity to grow.<\/p>\n
I have to draw the line at seven total minutes, which Drake Powell played against the Charlotte Hornets before spraining his ankle. Powell was available against the Atlanta Hawks but did not get off the bench; however, he was a full participant in practice on Friday.<\/p>\n
Danny Wolf is yet to make his NBA debut, but was finally cleared to play ahead of Wednesday\u2019s loss to the Hawks. He did not get in the game, but Fern\u00e1ndez confirmed he is healthy and the decision to have him practice with Long Island on Friday was not any sort of demotion.<\/p>\n
I asked Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez about MPJ\u2019s comments on Friday. Specifically: \u201cHow do you think over the season, the rookies improving might change the outlook of the team?\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer: \u201cI don\u2019t know what Mike said, but the reality is these guys work every day. They have the right intentions, and they\u2019re the right people here for what we\u2019re trying to do. So, working every day, nobody\u2019s perfect here, and we\u2019re going to continue to get better. I think that this group is growing; it\u2019s already grown in five games. We\u2019re process-oriented, we\u2019re not result-oriented, and at the end of the day, that\u2019s the most important thing. It\u2019s the growth. A lot of time, growth comes with pain, but that\u2019s for everybody. It\u2019s not just for one person. So I think, we all will have high standards for ourselves, and we all should look at ourselves in the mirror and think about, \u2018what can I do better? How can I help the team, and how can I help my teammates?\u2019 That\u2019s what\u2019s more important.\u201c<\/p>\n
Is Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez subtly suggesting MPJ look in the mirror? Is he (rightfully) including the fans of this 0-5 team among those that will feel pain during this growth process?<\/p>\n
What we do know is that the Brooklyn Nets are finally playing a couple homegrown rookies, and though they haven\u2019t been playing well yet, there are flashes and plenty of time. That\u2019s not to say we can\u2019t draw any takeaways from Ben Saraf and Egor D\u00ebmin just yet, that\u2019s why you play the games after all. Here\u2019s to seeing even more of the Flatbush 5 the rest of the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michael Porter Jr. did not take up the mantle of \u2018veteran leader\u2019 following the Brooklyn Nets\u2019 loss to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,3282,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-24570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","10":"tag-brooklyn-news","11":"tag-nets-analysis","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}