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[Brooklyn Nets]

New York Liberty keep rolling, flatten Chicago Sky 85-66

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

And the final score oversold the competitiveness of this Commissioner’s Cup game, with yet another fourth quarter of all garbage time.

The New York Liberty may never lose again.

Even without Jonquel Jones, who stomped the Chicago Sky’s sophomore front-court in their late-May matchup, the Liberty led wire-to-wire in the nationally televised rematch on Tuesday night.

Sandy Brondello inserted Nyara Sabally, who returned from a six-game absence with knee soreness, into the starting lineup, and her very first possession portended the rest of the game...

welcome back Nyara pic.twitter.com/CjzgA5P6ls

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) June 11, 2025​

Sabally finished with nine points and three boards, not missing a shot in her 15 minutes, but her stat-line hardly mattered. The German, soon to depart for EuroBasket, looked like the fullest version of her self, too strong and quick to be kept away from the rim for too long.

“She looked great,” said Brondello. “It was great to have her back out there. You know, I think we can just build on that. She’s always consistent, every time she gets subbed in, she’s just consistently great. She knows what she does and how she can help us.”

Sabally helped New York get out to a 26-15 lead after the first quarter, and the sea foam never sweat much after that. Their lead would increase consistently, until it reached a game-high 34 in the second half.

The healthy Liberty stars helped it get to that point. Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with a crisp 23/1/7/4/2 line on 9-of-14 shooting, controlled the game like the savvy veteran she now is. Most of her damage was done inside the arc, where she bumped Chicago’s guards off her to finish possessions with smooth floaters, pull-ups, and every right pass...

Sabrina's inside-the-arc offense has been so good tonight. Floaters, pull-ups, this lay-up and assist: pic.twitter.com/XKFVHSudYB

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) June 11, 2025​

Sandy Brondello was effusive when praising her point guard postgame: “Today was [a game] where we wanted the ball in her hands, and just, it was easy for her to get downhill. And she’s such a great facilitator ... She just keeps maturing as a player, plays at both ends of the floor, and it’s been big for us. But obviously, Olaf [Lange] is her coach, so he sits down with her in preparation, in knowing how they’re going to defend her, what she should or could be doing. And then, you know, we just try and put her in actions where she can have success. And she’s — she’s so smart. I mean, she’s going to be a great coach one day, too.”

Breanna Stewart punched out with an easy 18/7/5 line, blocking two shots and fitting in where she could. Which, for Stewie, is everywhere...

really nice cut and dart to the corner from Stewie pic.twitter.com/rxgEyhLgYA

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) June 11, 2025​

Angel Reese did her best to give an ESPN audience and characteristically packed Barclays Center crowd more of what they came for. In her best game of the season, without Jones protecting the paint, she scored a season-high 17 points with 11 boards, despite turning it over five times.

Reese, who got major cheers when the starting lineups were introduced, even hit a couple jumpers. But Ariel Atkins was the only other visitor to crack double-digits. No single player was responsible for the Sky’s lackluster offense, particularly against what’s been the best defense in the league; it was just an unfair fight.

As such, the Liberty’s role players contributed much more. Kennedy Burke yet again did not miss a 3-pointer, now up to a laughable 63.3% on the season from deep. Breanna Stewart, who played with Burke for the Seattle Storm in 2021, is perhaps best suited to describe her ascent.

“What I’ve seen the most is the way she’s really taken ownership of the role that she’s in. And whenever she’s on the court, she’s motivated to help the team, but also very confident. And I think it’s tough, you know, especially when you come to a new team, whether it’s in Seattl, or when you come to New York last year, finding that groove. And now she’s found it.”

Burke scored 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and though her teammates largely struggled from three (27.6% as a team), the Sky needed more luck than that to keep up.

We could go on down the line — Rebekah Gardner was again productive — but the Liberty are much more than the admittedly impressive collection of names. They are a dominant team, who play beautiful basketball from the top down...

couple of gorgeous Sabrina dimes to Stewie, these two are really hooping tonight: pic.twitter.com/vswxkW4a0W

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) June 11, 2025​

Now, they’re not just 9-0, but 3-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play with a point differential of 75. What else is there to say?

Final Score: New York Liberty 85, Chicago Sky 66

Courtney Vandersloot, absence felt​

In a terrible twist of fate, Courtney Vandersloot tore her ACL in the Chicago Sky’s previous game. After heading back to the franchise she called home for over a decade, the 36-year-old will now miss the rest of the season after winning the a championship with the Liberty last year.

That meant the Liberty did not get to honor Vandersloot with her championship ring, her absence hurting just a little bit more.

Said Brondello: “Terrible, what happened to Slooty. You never want to see any player go down with an injury, but someone that obviously is so dear to us. And we would’ve loved to have presented her ring tonight and celebrated the success she had with us last year.”

Sloot reunion, as her ex-Liberty teammates make sure to get a group photo and plenty of hugs pic.twitter.com/5Q2pqJOoOf

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2025​

Coco Gauff ignites the crowd​

The loudest moment of the night, bar none, came after Coco Gauff was shown on the Barclays Center video board. The 2025 French Open champion drew one of the loudest, sustained crowd reactions in the history of the arena...

Barclays just reached an unbelievable decibel when Coco Gauff was announced pic.twitter.com/C4FwZP8zrI

— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) June 11, 2025​

Just thought that was worth pointing out.

Next Up​

Photo by Joe Boatman/NBAE via Getty Images

Caitlin Clark will likely be questionable on Saturday afternoon, when the New York Liberty head to Indiana to play the Fever. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/6/10/24447109/liberty-vs-sky-85-66-sabrina-ionescu-angel-reese

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Day’Ron Sharpe, with big contract due, looks at areas of improvement

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

In an interview with Charlie Cummings of Swish Theory, Day’Ron Sharpe talks about where he has improved and where he’d like to.

There’s been so much talk about Cam Thomas’ free agency, Day’Ron Sharpe’s contract status hasn’t gotten much attention. Like CamT, he was taken late in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and like his hot shooting teammate, he’s been on a slow but steady path. Now, after a year where his improvement has gotten notice, he believes he’s ready for the next steps.

In an interview with Charlie Cummings of Swish Theory, out this weekend, he spoke about where he thinks he — and the league — are headed: positionless basketball, but with a specialty, in his case rebounding.

“Nowadays, 1 through 5, small-ball, everybody’s shooting threes, everybody can drive on a closeout. Eventually, it’s going to be to a point where it’s going to be completely positionless,” he told Cummings. “It’s going to be all about who got that ‘dawg,’ who got that mentality, who don’t wanna give up. That’s how I see it going, so I just want to be able to be versatile in all aspects.”

Indeed, last year, he showed improvement particularly in shooting. As Cummings notes,

Sharpe upped his free throw percentage nearly 20 points to 79%. That qualifies him as an solid free throw shooter in the NBA.

He posted the most points and assists per game of his career. His free-throw percentage also jumped nearly 20 points to 79%

He took more midrange shots and upped his percentage from 37% to 44%. Sharpe tripled his three-point attempts and increased his percentage as well, from 25% to 28% Most importantly, his assist percentage and assist-to-usage rate went up with his increase in usage rate.

Brooklyn was 6.6 points per 100 possessions better on offense with Sharpe on the floor.

Most of all, he showed improvement in his “bread-and-butter skill,” offensive rebounding.

“Offensive rebounding — that’s always gonna be my thing, that’s my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe said. “Being the strongest is going to help me do that. I’m trying to get to a point where it don’t matter who’s on that court, I’m moving you and I’m gonna get that board.”

Indeed, he was second in the NCAA in rebounding percentage as a freshman when the Nets picked him at No. 29 and he’s kept improving. Again, Cummings:

When Day’Ron is on the floor, Brooklyn’s offensive rebounding rate increases by 10.8%. That’s the highest on/off OREB% mark of any player in the league. His offensive rebounding rate of 15.4% was a 98th percentile mark in the league. He brings it all: hustle, positioning skill, physicality, and jump timing.

Cummings also points to areas of needed improvement including finishing around the rim. Sharpe, he wrote, still hasn’t gotten much above 60% — the 28th percentile for NBA bigs — but part of that could be his relentless work on the offensive glass. More tip-ins means more attempts, more misses.

Sharpe didn’t talk about his contract, which Keith Smith of Spotrac thinks will be in the three-year, $30 million range. He did talk about overall goals.

“I’m just trying to get my years in and win,” Sharpe said. “I’d always been a winner in my career before I got to college, so I just want to have an overall skill-set [and] game. The way the league is going nowadays, it’s not just really a wing or a guard or a big.”

The 6’9” big also spoke about how he wants to get stronger to help his offensive rebounding and broaden his overall game.

“I just want to do whatever we can to help the team. If it’s talking to the next person, then I can do that. If it’s bringing energy, I can do that. If it’s ‘go and grab every offensive rebound,’ I can do that. If it’s ‘go and drop 20,’ I can do that.”

Nets fans would like to see what they saw last February. Starting for the suspended Nic Claxton, he put up 25/15/5/2/3 on 8-of-10 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and 7-of-7 from the line. That would seem ambitious, but Sharpe has gotten better already. There’s reason to be optimistic.

• Finding a Role: Day’Ron Sharpe - Charlie Cummings - Swish Theory
• Nets Big Day’Ron Sharpe Discusses Points of Improvement - Wilko Martinez Cachero - Sports Illustrated

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/6/10...ig-contract-due-looks-at-areas-of-improvement

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Scouting SCOUT — International intrigue in Episode 3 of Brooklyn Nets Pre-Draft series

In the next episode, we’re able to see how the Nets approach overseas talent evaluation and pinpoint a few prospects they’ve been watching for months now

Oh, the places you’ll go...when you’re an international scout for the Brooklyn Nets.

In this latest installment of SCOUT, the team’s video series documenting its preparations for the 2025 NBA Draft, the Nets were anywhere but Brooklyn. The new episode focuses entirely on the team’s international evaluation efforts, once again piggybacking on Assistant GM B.J. Johnson’ running commentary. Johnson knows. He has been in charge of the Nets draft for the past five years.

“The game has become so global,” Johnson said to open things up. “To find a guy in some of these places could be massive for your franchise. You have to go wherever the talent is.”

That “talent” is arguably more widespread right now more than ever. At one point during the episode, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony called the 2006-born international class “one of the best that we’ve seen in a long time.”

Brooklyn’s understanding of that was clear — not just in their words but also their actions.

Who They’re Looking At​

The team isn’t naming names in the docu-series. Indeed, they’ve been fuzzing out any video that might give anyone a hint of who they like ... or don’t. That however is not going to stop us from doing a little foreign correspondent work, matching up mock drafts and top 100s with European team schedules with the video. Bottom line: their week long trip to Spain, Germany and France this fall was about early evaluation of some first round prospects whose names are now familiar as the draft, three weeks away from Wednesday, approaches.

The travelogue wasn’t exactly chronological but as Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

Johnson and Simone Casali, the Nets director of international scouting, are first seen in Paris where the two sat in on a contest between Saint Quentin and Nanterre, two upper division teams in the LNB (French basketball league).

It’s a near certainty that the two were there to take a closer look at Nolan Traore, the 6’3” French point guard who plays for San Quentin and has been linked to the team in various mock drafts particularly their late first rounders at Nos. 19, 26 and 27. The speedy guard with 20/20 court vision turned in one of his best games with Johnson and Casali in attendance, putting up 20 points and three assists...

Nolan Traore #SaintQuentin

Hit The Music. pic.twitter.com/OF093xepLi

— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) June 4, 2025​

Staying in Paris, the episode highlighted a Euroleague game between Paris Basket and Saski Baskonia of Spain. While neither team has prospects directly tied to the Nets, there’s some chance Brooklyn was there looking at the latter’s Ousmane N’Diaye — a 6’11” 20-year-old sharp shooting forward, and the only draft eligible player on the floor. That, or they just wanted another look at Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. (Okay, probably not.) However, Paris also features a top 2027 prospect, a 6’4”, 17-year-old guard, Illian Moungalla. SOOUT did not say. And in the game they attended, N’Diaye played only five minutes, Moungalla not at all.

This episode also took us to Ulm in Germany near Munich although in this case, we didn’t get any game footage, Ratiopharm Ulm is home two first round prospects: Noa Essengue, the 6’10” French power forward and Ben Saraf, a 6’6” Israeli point guard. Both have been mocked to the Nets, Essengue far more than anyone we’ve talked about thus far. In fact, he’s dominated draft conversations centering around the mid-to-late lottery with his athleticism and improved shooting of late...

Career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds for Noa Essengue exploded in Game 1 of the German playoff semis. The 18-year-old showcased his skill level, fluidity, defensive versatility, and feel for the game, knocking down a pair of 3s and bringing impressive intensity on both ends. pic.twitter.com/JLMjHZGsF0

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 3, 2025​

While much of the hum right now centers on Essengue, Saraf is another well-touted draftee. He dropped 16 points on the Portland Trail Blazers during a preseason game last autumn.

At 19, Ben Saraf brings an impressive combination of size, scoring instincts, feel for the game, aggressiveness and playmaking, with supreme timing and creativity operating in pick and roll, and sharp basketball instincts which manifest themselves in every part of the game. https://t.co/hpEtdQTYgo pic.twitter.com/6gHRdqbSDT

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 18, 2025​

An additional prospect Alec Anigbata, a 6’9” 20-year-old German power forward also plays for Ratiopharm Ulm.

A contest at WiZink Center in the Spanish capital, home of power house Real Madrid, was the final game shown. Again, there was nothing precise about the object of the Nets interest, but Madrid is home to 6’6” Spanish defensive wing Hugo González. He too was recently mocked to Brooklyn — at pick No. 26...

NEW FLOOR AND CEILING:

Hugo González arguably outplayed #nbadraft peers like Egor Demin, Kasparas Jakucionis, or Nolan Traoré when they shared the floor.

But he’s really lacked minutes, needs a lot more polish, and I'm unsure about how his two-way tools might scale up.… pic.twitter.com/TKPffv3uUK

— FLOOR and CEILING (Wilko) (@wilkomcv) May 28, 2025​

So, based on the video and our own sleuting, four games over a seven day stretch in late October and early November.

What They’re Looking At​

Between the different leagues, venues and prospects, Johnson also made Brooklyn’s intention clear: to stick to their principles, whether scouting prospects in the NCAA or French League: listing a few few boxes all their potential draftees need to check.

“The games are different, the strategies are different, and the pace of play is different, but there are certain things that regardless, you need a player to have,” he said. “You know, size for position, versatility of skillset, the toughness, the competitiveness, the grit, those kind of things, all that kind of sets the baseline and then from there you can pick out the fine details.”

“Then also, how can they overcome the language barrier, the culture barriers, the things that they have to do when they come over to the United States, and are they mentally equipped to do that,” he wen ton. “We factor all those kinds of things into play.”

Casali pointed to another area the Nets scouts have to take into account: the differences among the leagues they scouted.

“It’s like comparing conferences in the NCAA,” he told the Nets media team producer. “Every team has a different style. The Spanish league is more physical. They play bigger. The German league they’re playing very very small. The French league is more athletic. Every league has their own personality.”

The international scouting game is simply not what it used to be, with a quarter of the league’s players foreign-born ... and the winners of the last seven MVP contests hold international passports. While this all may seem like Brooklyn’s doing extra credit to the casual fan who watches March Madness every year and then calls it a day, there’s a common curriculum if you ask Casali. Just don’t expect the Nets or any other team to find a “Bo Cruz,” the fictional player in Adam Sandler’s “Hustle,” a kid who hoops in construction boots on some Spanish playground.

“Today it is essentially impossible to find a player who is not already in someone’s notebook,” he said in an interview just weeks after he and Johnson’s trip. “Today we can see games from every championship at every latitude and potentially it is an infinite job, it is almost impossible for a name to go unnoticed until the Draft.”

A good movie, he said, but not realistic. It’s more about hard work than crazy luck.

——————————

This new entry to the series puts us a third of the way through it. Considering we have only two weeks to go until the NBA Draft yet six episodes still promised, maybe we’ll get a few after Brooklyn makes its selections. There seems to be plenty of b-roll. That could add another layer of intrigue to any watching experience. Get your popcorn ready.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/6/11...n-episode-3-of-brooklyn-nets-pre-draft-series