RSS Nets Team Notes

[Brooklyn Nets]

Long Island Nets, with three Brooklyn rookies, lose to Skyhawks

Marcus Stevens/NBAE via Getty Images

The Long Island Nets tipped off at 11:00 a.m. ET in front of 5,700 fans for “Education Day,” traditionally their biggest crowd of the season. Alas, they weren’t able to bring home the win, losing 114-107 in overtime.

Nolan Traore continued his string of positive performances with another very good all-around game today that fans can be proud of. Despite missing both his attempts from beyond the arc, Traore finished the game connecting on nine of his 14 shot attempts for a total of 19 points.

Traore even flirted with a triple-double in this one, bringing in seven rebounds and dishing seven assists, also leading all players with four steals. Additionally, today’s game was another very positive game in Traore’s development when it comes to ball protection, as he had only had two turnovers. While the perfect number would be zero, two is much less than the six he had a few games ago.

Overall, this was a positive game for Traore, shooting the ball, rebounding the ball, and getting the ball to his teammates for good looks. On top of that, it was a decent game for Traore in ball protection, too. This is yet another game under Traore’s belt that fans can look at and see a huge positive step in his young development. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other rookies.

Something clear in this one is the connection Traore has to his fellow rookie, Ben Saraf. Traore and Saraf have found each other with ease in some of these games. NetsDaily asked Saraf what it’s been like playing with Traore after the game and his impression of him…

Ben Saraf on Education Day, Jordi Fernandez, Nolan Traore, and his goals.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/s0Nw2VonxZ

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) December 9, 2025

“It’s great,” Saraf tells ND. “I really love to play with Nolan. He’s so fast, pushing the place, and that’s exactly how I want to play. He had a great game today, and a great last couple of games, and I think we all enjoyed it.”

Saraf was assigned to the Long Island squad by Brooklyn yesterday to get him some minutes while Brooklyn goes without a game for five days. This was a game that Saraf would like to forget in more ways than one. Looking at the stat sheet, it doesn’t look like an awful game for Saraf; he finished with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and even had a steal and a block.

After the game, ND had the chance to speak with Ben Saraf about his performance and performing in front of close to 6,000 fans in attendance. “It was cool today,” Saraf says. “Playing in front of so many kids. The gym was loud, I love it.”

ND also had the chance to ask Saraf about working with the Brooklyn head coach, Jordi Fernandez, and being assigned to the Long Island team again.

“It’s great,” Saraf tells ND. “I think each one there is like some details for me that they’d like me to apply. But, I think in general the system is the same system. So, it’s easy to go down and play with the guys. The teammates are great here. So, it’s great so far.”

However, this may have been Saraf’s worst shooting performance of his young career. He connected on two of his 10 shots, with the two shots he made being two of his three shots from deep. His game from beyond the arc and from the foul line was fine. But some of his decisions on his shots inside the arc were questionable. If you’re looking strictly at the numbers, Saraf went hit zero of his seven attempts from inside the arc.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Saraf has a goal in mind. “Just to play as much as I can,” Saraf says. Whether it’s on Long Island or with Brooklyn, Saraf wants to stack days. Saraf also wants to “affect the game” as much as he can, and overall just “keep getting better.”

The good news is that Saraf is young. He has the potential to be a great player, but he’s not quite there yet. Some more time on Long Island may do him good, as he hopes to get to the level Wolf is already at. Wolf is a perfect example. He started his time on Long Island with one of the worst halves we’ve seen, but he became one of the best players on the team so quickly. So quickly that he’s already on the big club with no signs of being sent to Long Island again any time soon… Then, there was Drake Powell.

Powell made his Long Island debut in this game after spending the whole season so far with the big club. Powell quickly exceeded expectations in his time in the NBA, showing Brooklyn exactly why they drafted him. Similar to Saraf, Powell had a very weird game. Not bad, not good, just very weird.

Powell whiffed on all three of his shot attempts, but excelled at the foul line, hitting five of his six shots from the stripe. Powell’s final stat sheet reads eight points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block. Not bad numbers by any means, but the three shot attempts he mustered up, and not hitting a single one, was a bit odd to see, especially from someone as high as Powell in team expectations.

The two two-way players – EJ Liddell and Tyson Etienne – remained with Long Island for this one. This marked both men’s third game with the team of the season. Liddell had a double-double in each of his first two games with the team in Delaware. Would lightning strike a third time? So close, but no, it would not.

Liddell finished the game connecting on three of his nine shots, including hitting three of his six attempts from beyond the arc. He finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. He came awfully close to his third straight double-double but was one rebound off. Liddell also had one assist and two blocks. He remains a blocking machine for Long Island, off to one of the best starts blocking the ball that we may have ever seen at the G League level.

Tyson Etienne on his season goal, learning under Jordi Fernandez, his career high game, and his upcoming goals.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/fwMVfMRERu

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) December 9, 2025

As for Etienne, he finished with 14 points, connecting on six of his 16 shot attempts, including going 2-for-11 from beyond the arc. This was a far cry from Etienne’s career-high game, hitting 10 three-pointers, which he had the last time he was on the court on Saturday in Wilmington against the Delaware Blue Coats. Etienne was also credited with one rebound, two assists, and one steal.

When asked after the game about his mindset heading into his second season under the Brooklyn umbrella, Etienne told ND his mindset is simple: “win.” He continued, “My mindset is always to win. Whatever it takes for us to win, that’s just my mentality every single time, ‘how am I going to impact winning today?’ It’s the same mentality as always.”

Etienne spoke about his career night on Saturday, draining 10 three-pointers, the most of his professional career. “My mindset was just to go out there and win,” Etienne tells ND. “I knew it was the second of a back-to-back, so those games can go either way. I just wanted to be a leader for my team, bring the energy, and be someone they can rely on. Being on the road, the second of a back-to-back, I just wanted to make sure I was out there, helping my team. I wasn’t going out there trying to make 10 three’s or anything, I just went out there hooping.”

When asked about learning under Jordi and what the whole experience has been like for him and learning under Jordi, Etienne says it’s been “amazing.” He continues, “It’s nothing short of amazing. Playing for Jordi, everything that he’s about, his principles, what he values, those are things I kind of had to hold onto in my career just to get here. So to be playing for a coach and a coaching staff who come from the same mentality that I do is super gratifying. I know every day we focus on getting better, just a little bit better, and just seeing how that can compound over time. So, it’s been nothing short of amazing. I enjoy every single moment I’m able to put on a jersey, whether it be a Brooklyn jersey or Long Island jersey, I just want to represent the organization in the highest way.”

Looking ahead for Etienne, he said his goal for the organization is to continue to help them win games and grow personally. “Just continue to sharpen my ability,” Etienne tells ND. “Continue to be consistent with what I know I’m able to bring to a team, and continue to get better in my role, and continue to expand my skillset. My focus is just being the best basketball player I can be and being the best member I can be for this team and group.”

Etienne played a huge part in even getting this game to overtime, taking the ball to the rim for a lay-up with five seconds left to tie the game at 107. This was a very tough lay-up, which led to a very hard fall, causing Etienne to be on the ground for a bit, but he got up under his own power and stood in the game.

Tyson Etienne ties it up!@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/R9VeFLTiWO

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) December 9, 2025

Nate Williams finished the game leading the team in scoring with 25 points. Williams connected on 10 of his 19 attempts, including shooting the ball very well from deep, connecting on four of his five attempts. He also had seven rebounds, two steals, and one block to his credit.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (5-7) return to the court tomorrow night, Wednesday, for a showdown with the Westchester Knicks. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST in Westchester. It can be watched on ESPN+ and locally on MSGSN.

• Box Score: Long Island Nets vs. College Park Skyhawks, 114-107

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/longislan...ollege-park-114-107-nolan-traore-drake-powell

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

The Long Forecast: Peterson dominates, Yessoufou rebounds, and Amet slips

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Week 1 of The Long Forecast felt like dipping our toes into draft season. Now, one week later, it already feels like we’re in full swing. The college season is progressing, freshman roles are taking shape, and the 2026 draft board is becoming clearer day by day.

Where do the Nets’ picks sit?​

Brooklyn enters this cycle with its own first-rounder and a pair of second-round picks, one locked in, the other tied to how the standings shake out.

If the Clippers continue to lose games and a few other bounces go the right way, that extra second-round pick could climb as high as No. 36. In that scenario, the Nets would be looking at three selections inside the top 36, a rare amount of early draft capital for a team that made five first-round selections last year.

Currently, Brooklyn, who doesn’t play again until Friday, holds the sixth-worst record in the league at 6-17.

Risers​

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State

To open his second season at Iowa State, Jefferson has come out scorching.

The Nevada native is averaging 17.6 points on 56.6% shooting, along with 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game, while hitting an eye-catching 45% from three.

At 6’8” and 22 years old, he’s an experienced, versatile wing who has a complete skillset. The 22-year-old is an elite playmaker with a high basketball IQ who would benefit significantly from improving his jump shot consistency.

Even as an older prospect, his blend of shooting and size makes him an easy fit as a young three-and-D piece within any NBA team’s system.

Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor

Last week, Yessoufou landed in the fallers section after struggling to generate any real offensive rhythm. One week later, he’s taken a noticeable step forward.

In each of his last two games, the 19-year-old has topped 20 points, and he went four-of-eight from three against Memphis, an encouraging sign in an area that had been an apparent concern to open up his freshman campaign

He’s still far from a finished product, and as I noted last week, his trajectory mirrors that of V.J. Edgecombe. Edgecombe, a top-five pick last year, also battled inconsistency as a college scorer but thrived defensively and saw his offensive game come together quickly at the NBA level.

Yessoufou profiles similarly: raw, but with the tools to grow.

Fallers​

Boogie Fland, Florida

After transferring from Arkansas to Florida rather than entering the 2025 NBA draft, Fland has sputtered through the first eight games of his sophomore season.

In 30.8 minutes per game, he’s averaging 12.5 points, 2.1 steals, and 2.3 assists, while shooting just 39.3% from the field and 25% from three.

As a second-year guard, he needed a statistical jump to build a legitimate lottery case. Instead, his size at 6’2” limits him defensively, and his struggles to create clean looks show up in both his efficiency and his modest assist numbers.

The good news: there’s still plenty of season left. It’s early, and Fland has more than enough time to turn things around.

Nate Ament, Tennesse

Yes, the early hype around Amet is cooling. He entered his freshman year viewed as a blue-chip prospect, and the expectations for the Virginia native were high — expectations he hasn’t quite met yet.

Over his last five games, Amet has averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, but he’s doing it on rough 31.1/33.3/82.8 shooting splits. At 6’10” and only 18 years old, his game is extremely raw. The tools and upside are apparent; the question now is whether he can translate them into consistent production on tape.

Still, there’s plenty of reason to believe his stock will trend back up. Raw, athletic freshmen often take time to adjust, and Amet fits that mold.

Spotlight of the week​

Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson entered the season with legitimate No. 1 overall buzz, and through the early stretch of his college career, he’s lived up to that label and then some. The 6’5” guard arrived as one of the top recruits in the country, and his game has translated immediately against high-major competition.

Darryn Peterson | SG | #Kansas | 6-6, 205, FR

Strong scoring display from Peterson in his first game for Kansas since missing 7 games with a hamstring injury — silk off-the-dribble shotmaking + driving prowess. Active hands defensively.

17 PTS + 3 REB (23 mins) vs Missouri. pic.twitter.com/E0P1eNCEnl

— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) December 7, 2025

Granted, he has only appeared in three games this season, but his hot start must garner attention as a freshman. Throughout 24.7 minutes, Peterson has put up 20 points per game on a blistering 53.8% from the field and 42.8% from three, coupled with 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks.

The 18-year-old is known for his relentless work ethic while being an elite three-point shooter with elite playmaking tools.

17 points in 23 minutes for Darryn Peterson in his return from injury vs Missouri. Mature shotmaking, pace & poise on display. Demeanor of the 18-year-old is a major separator.

Rarely sped up. Has a rhythmic way of dissecting a defense in the half-court. pic.twitter.com/l8h5uE3XeQ

— Jacob Myers (@League_Him) December 7, 2025

Don’t be surprised if you hear Peterson’s name called first in June… That is how special he is.

Sleepers​

Keaton Wagler, Illinois

A freshman at Illinois, Wagler couldn’t have scripted a stronger start to his college career. He’s averaging 13.8 points on 42.2% shooting and 34.1% from three, along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

What really stands out is his control of the game. Wagler is committing just 1.1 turnovers per contest and has gone turnover-free in three of his last five outings, which is a rare level of poise for an 18-year-old.

One the most underrated freshman in the country.

Keaton Wagler has been spectacular for Illinois all season long.

A big guard with great feel and poise. He will be playing in the NBA one day.

: @League_Him
pic.twitter.com/CGKIqtnIM2

— College Basketball Headquarters (@CBBheadquarters) December 8, 2025

At 6’6”, he profiles as an ideal sleeper in a loaded draft class due to his blend of size, strong decision-making, and efficiency. Those are three key traits NBA teams highly value within a prospect, and his age certainly helps that trend as well.

Taylor Bol-Bowen, Alabama

Bol-Bowen, now in his third college season and first under Nate Oats at Alabama, still profiles as a long-term developmental swing for NBA teams. Even with multiple years in the NCAA, his game remains raw, but the tools are undeniable.

Taylor Bol Bowen vs #8 Illinois

12 PTS
3 REB
2 BLK
FG: 4-8 (50%)
FT: 2-2 (100%)
25 MIN
+8pic.twitter.com/SRzEGSDETc

— (@UARoundballGuy) November 21, 2025

At 6’10”, he brings length, athleticism, and intriguing touch, shooting an efficient 53.8% from the field. There’s always a market for size, shooting, and defensive versatility, which is why he remains on the radar as a potential second-round option.

Marginally encouraging to see this type of passing flash from Alabama's Taylor Bol Bowen.

I don't expect him to lead the break in the NBA/as a pro or anything, but it's about him showing that he can make connective reads to any extent

Even then, this pass *is* a bit inaccurate https://t.co/bRjTdCh1uA pic.twitter.com/d9GpiGgN7b

— FLOOR and CEILING (Wilko) (@wilkomcv) November 27, 2025

To solidify that case, he’ll need to add strength, as he’s still just 195 pounds, and boost his overall production. The outlines of an NBA role player are there; however, the next step for him is to turn his upside into consistent production at the collegiate level.

This week’s watch guide​

Here is a list of games fans should tune into this week:

• Clemson vs. BYU: December 9, 6:30 p.m. tip-off. Look out for BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
• Illinois vs. Ohio State: December 9, 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Illinois’ Keaton Wagler.
• Texas Tech vs. Arkansas: December 13, 12 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas.
• Kansas vs. NC State: December 13, 5:30 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.
• Arizona vs. Alabama: December 13, 9:30 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Alabama’s Taylor Bol-Bowen.
• Eastern Illinois vs. Ohio State: December 14, 1 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-draf...n-dominates-yessoufou-rebounds-and-amet-slips

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Shams: Brooklyn Nets eyeing salary dumps, Cam Thomas trade

In ESPN’s “Inside Pass” for Tuesday, Shams Charania focuses mainly on trade prospects for big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, but also discusses potential moves for the Brooklyn Nets and other teams as Monday’s unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season approaches.

Although Shams does not lay out specifics — he makes no mention of Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton for example — his reporting on Brooklyn has Sean Mark & co. preparing for even more salary dumps … and perhaps a Cam Thomas trade.

Re: salary dumps, Shams says the Nets cap space has led to “increased talks” involving Brooklyn, even suggesting the team could add to its league-leading number.

The Nets have $15 million in cap space and can create more, which has led to increased trade talks about using their room to absorb salary while receiving assets, sources said. The Nets, Pistons ($14.1 million trade exception) and Utah Jazz ($18.4 million trade exception) are the only teams with significant room that can take in larger deals and not be impacted by the apron.

Brooklyn engaged in four salary dumps over the summer, using $40 million in cap space to acquire Michael Porter Jr., two first rounders one of which became Drake Powell; Terrance Mann; Haywood Highsmith: Kobe Bufkin and a second rounder. Bufkin was later waived.

The ESPN insider’s most specific comment re the Nets relates to Cam Thomas’ situation. The 6’4” shooting guard hasn’t played November 5 due to recurring hamstring issues. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, after December 15 when most players signed or traded during the summer become eligible to be moved.

Brooklyn could also work with Cam Thomas’ agents at Octagon to navigate his future, potentially via trade, as he plays the remainder of the season on the qualifying offer and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Thomas is averaging 21.4 points but hasn’t played since Nov. 5 after injuring his hamstring.

Suddenly it doesn’t seem far fetched. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez didn’t seem enthralled about Thomas’ return.

“Before Cam got hurt, obviously, his superpower was the ability he had to score,” said Fernandez. “At the same time, we always want to see playmaking efficiency and improvement on defense. So all those things were important at the time. Now, he’s been out, the team continues to get better and play in a [good] way… The skillset, he’s very unique and very good at what he does. But at the same time, now the group is taking positive steps.

For the most part, I’m very happy with the whole group. And now when he comes back, it’s going to be on me to figure out how we introduce him into the group, and thinking that the most important thing, it’s always the group. And then from there, it’s [that] you’re willing to do whatever it takes to help the group and obviously improve yourself. That’s how this works: Team success will bring your own success as well.”

Although Shams didn’t mention it, Thomas and Antetokounmpo share an agent in Alex Saratsis, perhaps increasing the possibility that Thomas might be moved in a multi-team trade facilitated by Brooklyn. Thomas must approve any trade.

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Shams also writes that the Nets have “seen progress” from its five first rounders and Noah Clowney.

The Nets, who made five first-round picks in June’s draft, have seen rookies progress in their development, including Egor Demin and Danny Wolf. Third-year forward Noah Clowney is also having a career season so far, averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 36.1% from 3.averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 36.1% from 3.

As for the big question that will likely dominate the trade season – whether Antetokounmpo gets moved – Shams had this to report:

As reported last week, Antetokounmpo, who is out for several weeks because of a right calf strain, and his agent, Alex Saratsis, have opened discussions with the Bucks about the future and whether the best path forward is to stay in Milwaukee or be traded. The Bucks are 10-15 after losing 10 of their past 12 games and have spent most of the past few weeks at No. 10 or No. 11 in the Eastern Conference standings. Should the Bucks’ slide continue, sources said discussions between Antetokounmpo’s representation and the franchise will escalate and lead to a resolution before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

In addition to Monday’s increase in the number of players available to trade — 82 — the NBA’s upcoming calendar includes the G League Showcase in Orlando from December 19-22, serving as the NBA’s version of MLB’s winter meetings.

• NBA rumors: How Nets could be a major player at 2026 trade deadline – Erik Slater – Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-rumo...lyn-nets-eyeing-salary-dumps-cam-thomas-trade

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Nolan Traore gets call-up after strong game in front of Jordi Fernandez

Even if all eyes are on Brooklyn — Nolan Traore is making strides with Long Island, so many in fact that the 19-year-old Frenchmen’s next home game will be at Barclays Center, not Nassau Coliseum. After a strong two weeks with the Nets G League affiliate, Traore was called up Thursday just as the Nets head to Dallas for Friday’s game vs. the Mavericks.

The 19th pick and youngest of the Flatbush 5 — who many fans had dismissed after lackluster performances in preseason , had attacked his time in the G League with gusto…

Nolan Traore's three-point shooting improvement has been jarring.

Over his four preseason games and first four G League games:

18.2% (4/22) on 2.2 attempts per 36 minutes

Over his last nine G League games:

53.2% (25/47) on 5.6 attempts per 36 minutes

He's found a rhythm. https://t.co/lhQQoiqJdq

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) December 11, 2025

The big change shouldn’t have been that surprising. Traore after all is the sixth youngest player in the NBA and as our Tyler Carmona wrote last week, Traore has a history of slow starts.

Wednesday, on the back of a typical Traore game, the Long Island Nets had defeated the Westchester Knicks, 115-95, at the Westchester County Center. While this marked a regular Tip-Off Tournament game, Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez was on hand to undoubtedly keep an eye on the rookies with Traore prominent among them. (he didn’t speak to media post-game.).

Traore continued to shoot the ball very well in the Battle of the ’Burbs, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including both attempts from deep. He has been taking a lot of smart shots, and one of the highlights of the nights was a connection with Drake Powell. Powell will also be traveling to Dallas, having been called up as well.

This was alson arguably Traore’s best game protecting the ball. For the first time in his G League career, Traore finished the game with zero turnovers. Things have very much been trending in the right direction for Traore in this aspect, with the best showing yet taking place on Wednesday.

The game against the lowly Knicks, the G League’s worst team, was a blowout early…

Long Island leads Westchester by 30 at the break, matching the second-largest halftime advantage in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/k0cd3aXv76

— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) December 11, 2025

Indeed, the Nets held a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter with Westchester getting no closer than 14.

Powell played his second game with Long Island in this one. Coming off an eight-point performance on Tuesday, would Powell play more of a bigger factor on the stat sheet? Unfortunately, no. Powell connected on two of his seven shots, struggling mightily from deep, only hitting one of his six shot attempts. In total, Powell finished with six points.

Powell also finished with three rebounds and two assists. However, what Powell lacked in shooting the ball, he made up for in being the best ballhawk of the game. Powell finished with a game-best five steals. This led to a lot of unanswered points for Long Island and played a big part in getting them their double-digit lead, which they maintained the whole second half.

The third and final rookie on Long Island right now is Ben Saraf, who will remain in Long Island. Saraf made his return to Long Island on Tuesday, where he struggled to shoot the ball. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t fare much better for Saraf in this one. Saraf connected on just two of his seven shots, but if there’s any silver lining, it’s that Saraf has yet to miss from deep in his first two games back with Long Island. He went two-for-two on Tuesday and followed that up by connecting on his only attempt from deep on Wednesday.

In total, Saraf picked up five points. He also hauled in six rebounds while tallying five assists. Saraf’s big downside to his game on Wednesday was, unfortunately, in the turnover department. He finished second on the team in turnovers with four. However, these are all somewhat expected growing pains. The potential is most certainly still there for Saraf and Powell, for that matter.

Brooklyn Nets two-way player, Tyson Etienne, also remains in Uniondale. Etienne finished with 13 points, connecting on four of his nine attempts from deep. He went three-for-six from deep, having a much better shooting performance on Wednesday than he did the day before. He also had one assist and one steal to his credit. EJ Liddell was inactive dealing with a left ankle sprain. This injury comes at an inopportune time, as he’s been playing lights out with Long Island.

Tre Scott, the 6’8” Long Island’s 28-year-old big, led the team in scoring with 20 points. Scott finished the game connecting on eight of his 16 shot attempts, but only connecting on two of his seven shots from deep. He also had five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. However, Scott’s downfall in this one came in the turnover department as he tallied five. With all the attention on the rookies and the two-ways, Scott is still a name to keep an eye on.

Nate Williams the 6’6” wing, is similarly situated. another player who’s a bit older at 26. He hit seven of his 15 shots, including shooting 50% from deep. He also had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Yuri Collins had 13 points of his own, as well as six rebounds and six assists. He shot almost lights out, connecting on six of his seven attempts.

Also, 24-year-old David Muoka is getting a second chance at minutes. The 6’11” Hong Kongese center played arguably his best game in a Nets uniform, tallying 10 points, three rebounds, and three blocks.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (6-7) return to the court on Friday in Westchester, as they once again battle the Westchester Knicks, as their Tip-Off Tournament comes to an end. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on the Gotham Sports app, as well as the NBA G League website.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets at Westchester Knicks: Box Score – NBA.com
• Nolan Traore’s play in G League impressing Nets’ Jordi Fernandez – Dan Martin – New York Post
• Nets recall rookie Nolan Traore as path to point guard minutes opens ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Two clubs, one organization: Inside the Nets’ developmental pipeline with Long Island ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets recall rookie Nolan Traore after performing well in G League – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY
• Nets rookie in line for first extended NBA audition after G League breakout – Erik Slater – Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/longislan...ormance-this-time-in-front-of-jordi-fernandez

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Lewis: Michael Porter Jr. hoping to stay a Net

In talking with Brian Lewis, Michael Porter Jr. cleared up any mystery about where he’d like to be playing for the rest of the season and perhaps beyond. Brooklyn, says MPJ, is his home and he’d like to keep it that way despite any rumors that might emerge between Monday, the unofficial start of trade season, and February 5, the NBA’s trade deadline.

“Yeah, I love it here,” Porter said when asked by The Post if he sees himself in Brooklyn long term. “I love the staff, I love the energy of practice. Everyone gets along and has great vibes and great energy around the facility. So whatever team wants and appreciates what I bring to the table, then that’s where I want to be. And I feel like they do here.

“I don’t know their long-term plans; that’s above my pay grade. But any good, successful team, you need a mix of young, developing guys with unlimited energy, and you need some older guys that have been there and done that and can hand it down and teach the young guys. So any team that thinks they’re going to win at a high level with only young players, it doesn’t really happen. But like I said, if they want me here, I’d love to be here.”

No doubt there and after arriving in Brooklyn the result of a summer salary dump, Porter, only 27, has more than filled his promise. He’s averaging 25.8 points and 7.6 rebounds on 50/39/82 shooting splits. And since Cam Thomas went down with his hamstring issue at the beginning of November, those numbers have jumped. in the last 13 starts, he’s put up 28.2 points on 51/43/83, All-Star worthy numbers.

Not only is doing well, but the Nets wound up with a 2032 unprotected first round pick from Denver. Cam Johnson, who the Nets sent to the Nuggets is playing well for the first time this year. While most pundits, most notably Bill Simmons of The Ringer denounced the trade, it’s now seen as at least neutral, depending of course on how the Nugs do in the post-season.

However …

The Nets are rebuilding and MPJ is a valuable trade asset even with tw0 years and $78.1 million left on his deal. He could garner more trade assets and sending him away would also help the Nets tank harder. Some fans would rather lose games to get better lottery odds than end the season with another disappointing draft slot. Porter says he’s aware of what could happen, but says the ultimate decision is above his pay grade.

“Yeah, I definitely use everything I can as motivation,” Porter said. “It was just so much noise about me as a player. I just felt like a lot of stuff was discredited because of the fact that it was a rough ending to my time there.

Indeed, troubled by a shoulder issue, MPJ had a tough time last May in the Nuggets seven-game Western Conference semis vs. the Thunder. OKC sneaked by Denver and ultimately won it all. It was the second straight year the Nuggets didn’t make to the conference finals after winning it all with Porter as key piece in 2023.

“I knew I wasn’t myself in the last playoffs, so I just took the summer to get my shoulder healthy. I knew if it was healthy coming here, I’d be able to change the narrative around me. As a player, using everything you can as motivation is very important … but if you can use things that keep pushing yourself, that’s a big thing.”

The narrative certainly changed on the court. He and Nic Claxton, also rumored to be a trade candidate, have formed a solid bond, playing off each other’s strengths. Off the court, the more Mike stays off the mic, the better. His summer time blogs, with misogynist claptrap, required the Nets to have at least one sitdown with him. Of late, he seems to have understood that discretion is the better part of valor. How much that will affect either his status in Brooklyn or trade value remains to be seen.

He’s also won praise from his coach with whom he worked for five years in Denver.

“You see the efficiency, the way he does it with cutting, catch-and-shooting, off-ball, rebounding, getting to the free-throw line. … He’s playing at an All-Star level,” Jordi Fernández said. “He’s helping the group being competitive and growing.”

But even Fernandez uses the present tense when talking Porter.

“We have him here because we believe in him,” Fernández said. “We know how good he is. We believe we can develop him. And he’s part of our club right now, so every guy that’s here is going to be treated with the same amount of accountability, but also is going to be treated in their own way because they’re a different person.

“The fair way to put it, Mike [can] keep getting better, I think his ceiling is even higher. And I’m not going to say that right now what he’s doing is just enough. He’s got to maintain what he’s doing, and can get even better.”

When the Nets traded for Porter, the punditry was that the Nets would hope for the best and move him this summer when his deal becomes expiring at $40 million. Moreover, that’s when Sean Marks does his big deals. In the 10 years he’s been GM, Marks has made at least one move within 48 hours of the NBA Draft.

Now, with fans and likely the front office wanting a high pick in a great draft, the temptation to move MPJ sooner might be too hard to resist.

• Michael Porter Jr. hopes to convince Nets he’s worth keeping amid tanking season ($) – Brian Lewis – New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-rumors/102971/lewis-michael-porter-jr-hoping-to-stay-a-net

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Mavericks 119,Nets 111: Porter Jr.’s 34 Points Not Enough

Winning matters, but so does learning how not to lose.

For a young Nets team still figuring out how to close games, Friday’s 119-111 loss to the Dallas Mavericks felt familiar. The flashes, however, continue to feel real.

“I liked their fight all the way through,” said Jordi Fernandez. “I think the team competed well.”

Even in a loss, Brooklyn continues to play with a level of energy and competitiveness that separates them from most teams buried in the league’s bottom tier.

They didn’t lack fight, they just lacked polish.

The game slipped away in moments where their inexperience showed, both physically and mentally, but it’s not enough to take away the sense that something exciting is taking shape.

Twenty-four games into the season, Michael Porter Jr. has already exceeded expectations, leading both teams with 34 points.

Once the No. 1 prospect in the country, Porter spent his Denver years as a spacing weapon, asked to punish defenses with his outside shooting as a third option. Injuries reshaped his trajectory, but in Brooklyn, he’s emerged as a primary scorer who also leans on craft and timing to generate offense.

Porter Continues To Step Forward​

When the Nets traded for Porter, the expectation was simple: provide offense for a roster short on proven, consistent scorers.

He’s already exceeded expectations. Porter currently ranks among the league’s top 15 scorers (25.8) , and among that list, only Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic average more rebounds than him (7.6).

It wasn’t the kind of shot-chucking often seen from veterans on rebuilding teams. the 27-year-old picked his spots and scored from all three levels which kept the defense honest, shooting 60% from the field and 60% from three.

Michael Porter Jr. with a nice bucket off the dribble. He isn’t just a catch-and-shoot guy anymore. Defenders have to stay honest, and that hesitation is getting them blown by.@NetsDaily pic.twitter.com/lsbSXbCFj0

— Tyler Carmona (@TylerCarmona) December 13, 2025

Late in the game, Porter felt the weight of responsibility after a miscommunication from Noah Clowney led to a late-game turnover.

On the next possession he took matters into his own hands, forcing a tough shot and giving the ball back before turning it over less than a minute later.

“We kept looking at Mike instead of using him, and others taking the shot,” Fernandez said.

Still, Porter has consistently shown a willingness to trust teammates rather than hunt numbers, and that should be more effective once Brooklyn’s young core becomes more reliable.

Mistakes Tell The Story​

As Fernandez stated, the game came down to being out-rebounded in the fourth quarter, when Dallas finished with 10 second-chance points.

“That’s how you lose games,” Fernandez stated.

The Nets also finished with 17 turnovers, compared to 14 for Dallas and passing their season average of 14.8 turnovers.

Turning promising possessions into empty ones was the difference in a close game

Even while shooting better from three and the free-throw line and staying close in overall field-goal percentage, Brooklyn saw its margin for error disappear with every turnover.

Growing Pains​

Rookie point guard Egor Demin was the only starter who didn’t reach double figures, finishing with one of his toughest outings of the season.

He forced a few difficult attempts in traffic, appearing to search for contact over clean looks.

Still, there was some progress beneath the struggles. Early in the year, Demin avoided the paint altogether. Now he’s attacking it.

Noah Clowney continued to show clearly physical and offensive development, scoring 13 points and finishing through contact multiple times.

But several decision-making lapses led to three turnovers, and his confidence wavered late as the mistakes built up.

Neither Clowney nor Demin is over 21 years old, and both have shown enough promise to earn patience through nights like this.

After flashing signs of momentum with a 23-point performance against Utah last week, Ziaire Williams was held to three points in 25 minutes, shooting 25 percent from the field.

Fernandez also seemed to send off a wake-up call to rookie Drake Powell, who played just three minutes. When asked him Powell’s lack of minutes were due to Nolan Traore taking them, he promptly confirmed it.

“These young guys need to understand how important every minute you play is,” Fernandez said. “If the intentions are there, I’m completely fine. But if the mistakes are from easing into the game, that’s not how we do it here.”

And for Demin, a warning.

“He’s gotta be better, otherwise the minutes are gonna go down, and somebody else will take advantage of them.”

A steady presence off the bench​

Danny Wolf once again made the most of his opportunity.

Wolf led Brooklyn’s bench with 17 points and seven rebounds, shooting 60 percent from the floor and also playing reliable defense. His impact didn’t go unnoticed, earning praise throughout the broadcast.

"A Wolf Among Sheep"

"I think they are going to need more Wolf jerseys at the team shop"

Danny Wolf getting some love on tonight's broadcast@NetsDaily

— Tyler Carmona (@TylerCarmona) December 13, 2025

At this stage of the season, Wolf is making a strong case as one of the draft’s better value selections. The No. 27 overall pick has scored at least 15 points in three of his last six games and is averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

For a Nets team auditioning its rookies, Wolf continues to separate himself.

Nice sequence from Danny Wolf here. Fights through contact for the tough finish, then has quick hands in traffic for the steal to set up a two-for-one for the Nets@NetsDaily pic.twitter.com/099hhn1BaQ

— Tyler Carmona (@TylerCarmona) December 13, 2025

Milestone Watch​

• This was Porter Jr.’s fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points, the longest streak of his career.
• Nic Claxton still sits at No.5 on the Nets’ all-time blocks list, but is just 33 blocks away from sliding into Mike Gminski’s No.4 slot

What’s Next?​

Sunday, the Nets will return to Barclays Center to face the Milwaukee Bucks at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The two team’s last played on November 29, when Brooklyn fell to Milwaukee 116-99. Will we hear more on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors? The day before the unofficial opening of trade season? Bet on it.

Milwaukee has gotten off to a slow start this season, currently sitting at 9-12, but won their most recent game against the Boston Celtics 116-101.

• Boxscore: Dallas Mavericks 119, Brooklyn Nets 111 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Dallas Mavericks 119, Brooklyn Nets 111 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernández on dropping back and forth game (Video) – YES Network
• Michael Porter Jr.: ‘There are a lot of positives’ (Video) – YES Network
• Michael Porter Jr. on his 21-point first half (Video) – YES Network
• Nolan Traoré on his development in the G League (Video) – YES Network
• Anthony Davis has 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead Mavericks past Nets 119-111 – AP
• Nets collapse down stretch in loss to Mavericks to spoil another big Michael Porter Jr. effort – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Danny Wolf continues to impress Nets in more ways than one: ‘Plays like he belongs’ – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets drop thriller to Mavericks despite Michael Porter Jr.’s 34 and Danny Wolf’s spark off the bench ($) – C.J. Shivers – New York Daily News
• A way-too-early look at who the Nets could target in the 2026 NBA Draft ($) – C.J. Shivers – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Michael Porter Jr. drops 34 in loss to Mavericks – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-scor...avericks-119-porter-jr-s-34-points-not-enough

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Battle of the ‘Burbsespite slim pickin’s due to injury, illness, Long Island beats Westchester

Despite missing seven players to injury and illness, the very short-handed Long Island Nets beat their G League rivals Westchester Knicks, 110-107, to end the first part of the NBA G League season with a .500 record. Although the Nets were short-handed, the cast they put on the court started strong and finished with just enough fuel on the tank for their seventh win.

The day started with Nolan Traore, who has been the headliner for Long Island, called up to Brooklyn for a longer audition for the big club. Then, one by one, the young Nets fell, leaving them without almost all of its best players. EJ Liddell was out for the second game, as he still is dealing with a left ankle sprain. However, on top of that, rookie Ben Saraf and high scoring wing, Nate Williams, were both out dealing with an illness. And top of that, David Muoka, the starting center the last game, was declared out with a left ankle sprain.

Grant Nelson also remained out, dealing with left knee soreness. This is the injury which sidelined Nelson for a good portion of the Tip-Off Tournament, the first part of the G League schedule. The silver lining here is that all of these players now have some time to get better and regroup. All 31 G League teams

as the “regular season” doesn’t kick off for Long Island until Sunday, December 28th. Also, the Nets opponent Friday night was the G League’s worst team, the Westchester Knicks who went into the game 1-11.

For Long Island, the losses on the injury report didn’t seem to affect things on the court. By the end of the first, the young Nets had piled it on, leading 46-15. Things got closer as the game went on but Long Island wound up with a rare wire-to-wire win.

So, with all of these names out, who picked up the slack? Well, for one, Brooklyn two-way, Tyson Etienne. Along with veteran wings Jay Scrubb and Malachi Smith, Etienne led Long Island with 20 points. The 26-year-old 6’0” shooting guard connected on six of his 15 shots from the field, all six coming from beyond the arc. So far this season, he’s averaging 19.0 points one shooting splits of 43/420/60 along with 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds.

Etienne also finished a steal and a block. Etienne was an on-ball and off-ball pest all game. Etienne stepped up in a big way to keep his team winning games, and was a large part of the reason that Long Island came out of Westchester with the win.

The first of two players Etienne was tied with in scoring was Scrubb. Scrubb arguably played his best game as a Net in this one. Scrubb is no slouch in his own right. He’s previously earned an NBA G League call-up, signing a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic in March 2023. The Louisville, KY native has appeared in 24 career NBA games with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Orlando Magic. At the NBA level, he averaged 4.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per contest.

He was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft and traded to the Clippers as a part of a multi-team deal. Now, he finds himself back with the same organization which drafted him.

Like Etienne, Scrubb finished with 20 points, connecting on eight of his 15 shot attempts. He also had six rebounds and four assists to his credit. Much like Etienne, the 6’4” 25-year-old Scrubb was also a bit of a ball hawk in this one, picking up two steals and one block.

Smith rounded out the three-way tie for the top scorer. Smith arguably had the best shooting game on the team, connecting on seven of his 11 shots, including going three-of-four from deep. He also had four rebounds, one assist, and even had a steal.

Rookie Dre Davis picked up a new career-high in this game, tallying 15 points while Tre Scott had a fairly quiet game by his standards, finishing with 13 points, only finding the net on five of his 13 attempts. However, his seven rebounds and six assists brought him close to a triple-double.

As for Yuri Collins, while he only picked up nine points, he excelled as a playmaker, tallying 10 assists. Collins flirted with a double-double in this one, but was just shy of it. He also had two rebounds and two steals.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (7-7) wrapped up their Tip-Off Tournament in this one, and now await their Winter Showcase fate which starts next weekend in Orlando. As of now, the next time they take the court is in over two weeks when they travel to Atlanta to take on the College Park Skyhawks on Sunday, December 28th. The game tips off at 3:00 p.m. EST and can be viewed on NBA TV.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 110, Westchester Knicks 107 – G League
• Full Game Video: Long Island Nets 110, Westchester Knicks 107 – G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/longislan...-injury-illness-long-island-beats-westchester

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 PM ET

It’s been a full six days since the Nets last played basketball. For those who forgot where we left off: Brooklyn’s won three out of four entering tonight. Egor Demin enjoyed a night out for the Jimmy V Classic at MSG, watching his BYU Cougars pull off a thrilling buzzer beater victory off the hands of Robert Wright III. AJ Dybantsa went for 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Just saying.

Egor Mic’d Up

View this post on Instagram

In the off time, Brooklyn elevated in the standings — they’re now just the sixth-worst-team in the league. Cam Thomas’ name was brought up in a Shams trade rumor report, too. Moving onto tonight… this one features No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

KEY INFO​

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (6-17) at Dallas Mavericks (9-16)

WHEN: 8:30 PM ET

WATCH: YES NETWORK / GOTHAM SPORTS APP

INJURY REPORT​

• Thomas: OUT – Left Hamstring Strain
• Highsmith: OUT – Right Knee Surgery, Injury Recovery
• Liddell: OUT – G League Two Way
• Etienne: OUT – G League Two Way
• Saraf: OUT –G League Assignment

***

Please be respectful with your comments. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-disc...n-brooklyn-nets-at-dallas-mavericks-830-pm-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Trade season arrives Monday … or maybe earlier

The unofficial start of trade season is upon us. Starting Monday morning, all but 17 of the NBA’s 540 players will be eligible to be dealt. The 82 players signed in the earlier part of the summer will be added to the pool of players GMs can move around the board. (The remaining 17 free agents signed later in the summer become eligible on January 15.)

Reports of impending trades could come even earlier. Last year, Shams Charania tweeted out news of the trade of Dennis Schroder and a future second rounder for three other future seconds at 4:36 p.m. nearly eight hours before the deadline. At that point, the Nets wanted to improve their chances for a top pick, the same situation they find themselves So don’t be surprised if there’s early word.

Moreover, according to various reports, the Nets have been trolling the NBA for salary dumps, trading players for even more draft assets beyond the 13 first rounders, two first round swaps and 19 second rounders already on the big board at HSS Training Center. With their $15.3 million in cap space left over from the summer, they could be involved in dumps or as a facilitator in other, multi-team deals.

As Shams noted last week, they have flexibility … and little competition.

The Nets have $15 million in cap space and can create more, which has led to increased trade talks about using their room to absorb salary while receiving assets, sources said. The Nets, Pistons ($14.1 million trade exception) and Utah Jazz ($18.4 million trade exception) are the only teams with significant room that can take in larger deals and not be impacted by the apron.

Cap space offers more flexibility than trade exceptions.

Since then, Jake Fischer of The SteinLine and Brian Lewis of the Post have confirmed the aggressive stance Sean Marks & co. are taking. Wrote Fischer:

My best read on Brooklyn at the moment is that it has mostly abandoned its ambitions for jumping straight back into the star market in the wake of the Kevin Durant/James Harden/Kyrie Irving Era. It was two summers ago that the Nets, who once viewed Mikal Bridges as their in-house No. 2 with the ability to help attract a true alpha to Barclays Center, dealt Bridges to the Knicks. I’m told Brooklyn has since set its sights on the upper reaches of the forthcoming draft in hopes of adding a potential rookie superstar to the five first-round selections it made this past June.

As for Lewis, he reported this weekend that despite a fan debate between the pro- and anti-tank corps, there appears no indication of any change of mind by ownership or the front office on the original plan to get as high a pick as possible in the May lottery, noting Joe Tsai’s comment back in September, “We have one pick in 2026 and we hope to get a good pick, so you can predict what kind of strategy we’ll use for this season.” Lewis wrote:

Teams are leery about trading away huge quantities of first-round picks for stars on the wrong side of 30, and instead hoarding draft assets. That’s still very much what the Nets plan to use their league-high $15.3 million in cap space for, to absorb yet more salary dumps in order to garner other team’s draft picks.

League sources have consistently told The Post that Brooklyn’s plans remain the same.

And while there’s been a lot of speculation about who the Nets might move, with the leading candidates being Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton, Lewis hints at a specific scenario that had some currency in the summer: a deal with Boston. In it, the Nets would take on Anfernee Simons expiring $27.7 million contract in return for trade assets. Simons, 26, averaged better than 20 points a game over his last four years in Portland, but has had reduced role in Boston this season after being sent to the Celtics by the Blazers for Jrue Holiday in the off-season, itself a salary dump.

Brooklyn’s reported asking price to take on Simons and help Boston avoid CBA sanctions — a first round pick — was deemed too steep for Brad Stevens. In addition, Boston has made subsequent moves that made their situation less onerous.

Then, there’s the issue of Cam Thomas whose recurring hamstring issue won’t be re-evaluated for another week. His situation is tricky. Having exercised his $6.0 million qualifying offer, Thomas would have to approve any trade and lose his Bird Rights with his new team. He appears to have already made one contract mistake with the QO, turning down a one-year, $9.5 million contract and a two-year, $30 million deal with the second year a team option. Would he be willing to take another chance, stick around and try his hand at unrestricted free agency in the summer?

Jordi Fernandez seemed to hint that when Thomas does return this season, his role will be different, considering how well the team has played in his absence.

“That’s a good question,” Fernandez said when asked about Thomas’ role. “The context is different [now]. Before Cam got hurt, obviously, his superpower was the ability he had to score. At the same time, we always want to see playmaking efficiency and improvement on defense. So all those things were important at the time. Now, he’s been out, the team continues to get better and play in a [good] way… The skillset, he’s very unique and very good at what he does. But at the same time, now the group is taking positive steps.

“For the most part, I’m very happy with the whole group. And now when he comes back, it’s going to be on me to figure out how we introduce him into the group, and thinking that the most important thing, it’s always the group.”

Hardly a ringing endorsement.

During the summer, the Nets used $40 million in cap space plus $1.1 million in cash to acquire two first round picks, one in 2025, another in 2032, a second rounder also in 2032 while also taking on the contracts of MPJ, Haywood Highsmith, Terance Mann and Kobe Bufkin (who they later waived.)

It seems quite obvious they are not done.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-rumors/103085/trade-season-arrives-monday-or-maybe-earlier

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

NY Liberty in love with Chris DeMarco as their new head coach

The New York Liberty are entering a new era. Following a disappointing and at times frustrating 2025 season, the 2024 WNBA champions decided to shake things up by moving on from Sandy Brondello. It took a few months and a lot of research, but they finally found the candidate they were looking for. And on December 10, the tenth head coach in Liberty history met the media and fans.

Chris DeMarco joins the Liberty after spending over a decade as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. In that time, DeMarco won four NBA championships with the team and has worked as head coach for the men’s Bahamian National Team. As the Liberty continue evaluating what went wrong for the team in 2025, making the most out of the roster will be a top priority.

“We needed an industry leader when it comes to player development,“ Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb said. ”We have to be an organization where our star players are routinely adding layers to their game, but also where our role players are developing and turning into starters. And we need to plan our flag as the home of development where players around the league know that this is where you come if you want to be at your very best.“

With an unknown world awaiting us if/when a Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached, it’s hard to predict what the next iteration of the Liberty roster will look like. However, one person who’s certainly going to play a big part of their present and future plans is Sabrina Ionescu.

Sab was on hand with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Isabelle Harrison, and Nyara Sabally to greet DeMarco on his first day with the team.

“The comps are interesting,” DeMarco said at the brand new Brooklyn Basketball Training Center comparing Ionescu to the star he left behind in San Francisco, Steph Curry. “I get it. She can shoot the heck out of the ball. She’s a very smart playmaker. Where I compare them is just their focus. I’d say what makes them most alike is just their focus on the game of basketball. And it really is elite.

It’s a high level of “every day I’m working on my game and making sure I’m in shape. I want to be the best.” So there’s obviously parallels there. As far as, like the comps go, it’s hard sometimes. I know with the Warriors, we were always trying to find maybe the next Andre Iguodala, Shawn Livingston, and you know those people are one of one of a kind, so we’re lucky to have one in Sabrina.

“And yeah, there’s some parallels to Steph, but overall, she’s her own player. There’s some things that I think she’s done great, and there’s some things I think she could do better, as well as the rest of our players. That’s part of our job as a coaching staff, to get everyone there.“

It’ll be interesting to see how DeMarco utilizes Ionescu and the rest of the Liberty once the season begins. Sab has improved her field goal percentage inside the restricted area each year she’s been in the league. However, her 3-point shooting hasn’t been as good as you would expect considering the caliber of shooter she is. DeMarco will be tasked with making the most out of the team’s spacing in order to get the best shots on every possession. Will that come with using Ionescu in different roles than Brondello did and having his superstar bigs working more frequently as hubs on offense at the elbows? Who knows. Once we get to training camp, we should have an idea as to how he wants to do things.

A learning experience​

During the presser, DeMarco was asked about how’s he prepared himself to coach women’s basketball players for the first time. He mentioned that he’s ordered just about every book he could find on the Liberty to help prepare for this new adventure. That response was the subject of Discourse on social media, but the full answer put that into its proper context

Full quote from DeMarco….

“We had three games in four nights, so I still am doing my assistant coaching role with the Golden State Warriors. But any free time I have, I'm pouring into this. I've probably ordered every book on the New York Liberty like you can find online. I've…

— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) December 10, 2025

“In my free time I have, pouring into this, probably ordered every book on the New York Liberty,” DeMarco said. “I always watched as a fan. So now I have to shift my focus and watch as a coach. So there’s a lot to go back and watch. … To learn about the history of the WNBA.”

He also mentioned that he’s spoken to people who have also made the jump from the NBA to WNBA in Nick U’Ren, Nate Tibbets, and Natalie Nakase. He also acknowledged he has a lot to learn and will continue to spend his time learning the ins and outs of the league while continue to grow as well. Kolb and the Liberty will help with that process as DeMarco and the Liberty team will be taking trips to Unrivaled, Athletes Unlimited, and other basketball leagues around the world starting in January.

With the hire of DeMarco, the Liberty continue a trend of hiring coaches with NBA and FIBA men’s experience for the W. There have been questions as to who gets left behind when things like that, and the Liberty were able to point to their successful track record in hiring, supporting, and uplifting candidates and staffers of all backgrounds.

On the court, the new hire fits in to a league that’s going to be even more fascinating going forward. The Liberty have prided themselves on being a top tier organization in the WNBA and one that looks to stay ahead of the curve. At the presser, I asked Jonathan Kolb how the DeMarco hire fits into that and what it means in a continually evolving landscape:

“In terms of the game itself,” Kolb said, “I think one of the biggest qualities that drew us to Chris is his willingness to adapt and his tendency to adapt. And I think you saw it on the international level. Why is that important? Our league is fascinating right now.

When you look at the head coaches and the styles of play, this isn’t the NBA where you have similar styles throughout. This is a place where we’ve got collegiate minds. You’ve got European influence when you look at Connecticut’s setup. You’ve got WNBA minds, and now you’ve got NBA minds.

“It’s a different game night to night. So what that means to me, in order to stay ahead is you have to be willing to adapt. You can’t be married to certain things. You have to be willing to experiment and go with what works, so that by the time the regular season concludes, we know who we are as a team. We know we’ve got multiple triggers to pull, and we’re at our best come September, October.“

To be effective at your job, you have to acknowledge what you don’t know and work to turn a weakness into a strength. No one walks in knowing everything and you have to do the work to be the best version of yourself. What DeMarco lacks in direct experience coaching women’s basketball players he makes up in experience coaching in a variety of roles over a long time period with one of the NBA’s marquee franchises. That experience is what the Liberty are banking on to guide them back to the top of the WNBA.

There’s a lot to dig in to with the DeMarco hire, which I did on the latest episode of Gotta Get Up!

As the Liberty enter their new era, DeMarco’s hire will go a long way in charting their new direction. In the race to be the best franchise in the league, the Liberty are facing stiff competition all across the league. They hope that their combination of ownership, players, and coaching keeps them ahead of their peers and a step ahead of the next evolution in basketball. Now that DeMarco is officially on board, let the games begin.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nyliberty...ris-demarco-jonathan-kolb-analysis-head-coach

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Nets crush Bucks without Jordi Fernández, winning 127-82

Even without Jordi Fernández, the Nets put up a high score in Big Buck Hunter tonight.

Returning home for their second game of alternate programming to NBA Cup, Brooklyn secured their most dominant win of the season. Correction! Their most dominant win in franchise history! It was also the first career head coaching win for Steve Hetzel, who had to fill in for Fernández, who sat out with the flu.

Before the game, Hetzel explained that he wanted to embody an extension of what Fernández preaches above all else. On a night where the Nets dominated from deep, pressured the ball, and won when they probably shouldn’t have, he couldn’t have done a better job.

“The main message is just an extending message of what Jordi always talks about: being competitive, selfless, and connected out on the basketball floor,” he said pregame. “In this five-game series, we’re 2-2 with the opportunity to go 3-2 after tonight. It would be our first time to win a five-game series, so that’s our goal.”

Fernández’s phantasmic spirit could be felt from the jump. After a poor performance on Friday, the coach publicly criticized Egor Dëmin and challenged fellow rookie Drake Powell. Dëmin, even with Fernández unable to see it in person, was ready to show his coach he could do better. The eighth overall pick last June made all four of his opening period shots, including a triple off a screen which got the scoring started for Brooklyn. Even with Myles Turner lurking, he also managed to put some pressure on the rim…

Egor finishes around Myles Turner in the drop pic.twitter.com/Oz5Qo1GNWP

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) December 14, 2025

“Very, very proud of him,” Hetzel said of Dëmin’s response. “You know, [Fernandez] challenged Egor, he challenged Drake, and they both responded beautifully with an edge…You got to be quick to forget about the last one. Move on and play better.”

“I mean, I didn’t have much lost games in my life,” Dëmin said. “You know, coming from Moscow to Spain, there were a couple of big ones, but in general, I’ve been in a really winning team. It’s always been kind of hurting when we’re losing some big games, or whatever it is. In Spain, in three years, I lost probably three games, and all of them were big. There were two Finals, the national championship, so it’s obviously been always hurting a lot.

“In college, I had to really learn how to go over those bad games, or even sometimes when we win, but I’m not good with my performance, or when we lost. But again, it’s so many games. College was when I started learning about it, and coaches, obviously KY [Kevin Young, the BYU head coach], he’s like, ‘Man, you got to go on to the next one.’ You can’t really just stay with whatever happened yesterday.”

So as Dëmin aimed to turn things around, Michael Porter Jr. looked to maintain course. The Nets’ latest forward flourishing in an expanded opportunity here in Brooklyn gave us five first period points along with three assists. He only finished with 12 points tonight, but his teammates had his back, which became a defining theme for the game.

“Normally, Mike has been carrying us offensively, and then you see how spread out the points are amongst the group,” Hetzel said. “I don’t think anybody that stepped on the court played poorly. Complete team effort, totally focused.”

For the whole contest, but especially in the first, Day’Ron Sharpe had both arms extended to help carry the offensive load. He led everyone with nine points in the opening quarter, finding ample success in the pick-and roll-whether being set up by Powell or Tyrese Martin off the bench.

Between those three, the Nets put up 37 first period points and established a double digit lead going into the second. They posted 63/50 splits in the quarter and their 15 made field goals represented a first-quarter season high. The frame wasn’t without a few sloppy sequences, which were to be expected from a young team missing its skipper, but Brooklyn found a way to turn enough of them in their favor.

Nets got the points…eventually pic.twitter.com/8ofAT9ODqb

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) December 14, 2025

The Nets inflated their lead to 18 early in the second and got it as large as 19. While continuing to shoot well, they also forced six Buck turnovers in the frame which gave them eight extra points.

But despite all those buckets, the Nets were five seconds away from going into halftime without a single player in double digit figures, as Nic Claxton only got 10 right before the buzzer. The balanced attack saw six Nets contribute with eight or more points in the first half. It was the first time they did that since February 2024 in Memphis. It put the Nets in front by a 65-48 score.

Milwaukee, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight (and perhaps forever) looked like a team missing its best player. Aside from their loose grip on the rock, they struggled to create out of their offensive sets, often relying on Kyle Kuzma or Kevin Porter Jr. to create in isolation. Kuz led all scorers at the break with 13 points after shooting 6-10 from the field. He and Ryan Rollins were the only Bucks with more than two made field goals in the half.

But against tall odds, the Bucks were even worse at the other end. I’d say their wing defenders were like turnstiles, but even those occasionally don’t pick up your card and keep you from passing through.

MPJ goes right past Kyle Kuzma, around Myles Turner.

Whether it's attacking a closeouts or finding open teammates, he's done a great job leveraging the defensive attention he's got so far. pic.twitter.com/WaaH7gx5R5

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) December 15, 2025

So, after seeing these deer-in-their-headlights in the first half, the Nets floored it in the next period, going up by as many as 29. They got 10 more points off turnovers in the third and canned four triples in the frame’s first five minutes as Clowney and Dëmin took turns spraying Milwaukee from deep. Brooklyn went on to shoot 7-of-14 from three in the quarter. In doing so, they matched Milwaukee’s total number of made threes for the game by that point.

Egor Dëmin steps back on Kyle Kuzma and had something to say pic.twitter.com/vKgQY7VgQZ

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) December 15, 2025

By the time we reached the fourth, the Nets were up 99-71, and the game had lost its competitive appeal. However, what it lacked in entertainment was made up for by rookie intrigue. Perhaps the best part about Brooklyn’s massive lead was that it allowed us to see Nolan Traoré at length for the first time all season.

The second pick of the Flatbush Five has spent most of the year on Long Island, but came in tonight with nine minutes to go. He never got into the scoring column, but helped others do so, tallying three assists in those nine minutes.

“I just like his confidence,” Hetzel said of Traore. “When he was assigned to Long Island, he spent some time down there, and he did really, really well. His numbers were great. The team played well, and you can see a different player. So just that game experience, playing against NBA style basketball with Long Island, we have a great staff down in Long Island that coaches in the same as we do here, and you could just see his confidence at a much different level than last time he played.”

Nolan Traore elevates to fake and find Jalen Wilson. pic.twitter.com/ATGqzgi55U

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) December 15, 2025

In the process, Brooklyn’s lead boiled into the 40s. What looked like an old fashioned blowout eventually turned into an embarrassment to basketball on Milwaukee’s behalf. At one point, The Nets were up 125-82 with 2:26 to play and Jericho Sims thought it’d be a good idea to try and dribble the ball through his defender’s legs. He ended up just tossing it out of bounds. The ball nicked Jalen Wilson’s calf, so he managed to avoid committing what would have been his team’s 21st turnover of the evening, but couldn’t escape the moment’s awkwardness.

Dëmin ended up leading the Nets with 17 points after shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep. He also came up with two steals. Clowney followed with 16 points after going 4-8 from deep. Martin added 14 points, going 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-8 from deep. Between their scoring contributions and those of and Sharpe (13), Powell (13), Mann (12), Williams (10), Claxton (10), and Wolf (10), the Nets had nine guys to reach double figures. Indeed, much of fourth saw four rookies, everyone but the bed-ridden Saraf, on the floor. For the game, they put up 50 points.

Hetzel? He got an ice bath post game…

update: we had fun tn https://t.co/so2jQI1fnv pic.twitter.com/QbAWohvEZ8

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 15, 2025

But he still gave all the credit to Fernández and his fellow assistant coaches.

“It feels good, but it’s really, you know, we’re all an extension of Jordi, and everything that he’s done,” he said. “The way they played in his absence just shows how much they care about playing for him. And then the entire staff, you know, Jay Hernandez was in the huddle, drawing up ATOs. He works the offensive side of the ball. Juwan, helping with the subs, Dutch on the bench, and everybody behind. We have a tremendous, tremendous staff. And the best thing about everyone that works here is that everybody’s got an ego in terms of their confidence, but they have zero ego to rock the boat in a negative way.”

For anyone on tank watch and upset with the win, just know it could always be worse. The guys the Nets played tonight can’t be feeling better. They’re really trying to win, and in the process, convince the only guy keeping them relevant that he shouldn’t jump ship. They did a horrible job at it tonight, too.

Kyle Kuzma on Bucks loss to Nets: “It’s 45 points to a team trying to lose. They got 4 or 5 wins or whatever it is now. No disrespect at all because that’s the beauty of this league, right? There’s so much talent and if you’re not ready you can get your butt whooped by any team.” pic.twitter.com/ouGVKB8Kjq

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 15, 2025

While it’s five years too late, and not in the way we all want, the Nets might’ve finally defeated the entity that is “Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.”

“It’s awesome just just to be a part of this group,” Hetzel concluded. “Jordi and I are like brothers, or I view him like a brother. When he asked me to come work for him, I said absolutely. But this win is more of a reflection of everything that everybody on the staff does, and it’s fun to win. It’s fun to play well. I’m glad that we got it for Jordi.”

Final: Brooklyn Nets 127, Milwaukee Bucks 82

Injury Report​

As mentioned, Jordi Fernández missed tonight’s game with an illness which we later learned to be the flu. Despite his absence, Hetzel made it seem like the coach is doing as well as you could under those circumstance.

“He’s doing well,” Hetzel said pregame. “He calls himself a specimen. He tested positive for the flu, but he has no fever. So he feels good. I talked to him this morning. I saw him, he was in here. He was in good spirits, but I think it was best for him to just get some rest.”

Ben Saraf also missed tonight with and undisclosed illness.

Milestone Watch​

• The Nets had nine players score at least 10 points in tonight’s win — tied for the most in franchise history (happened three times prior: 12/21/22 vs. GSW, 1/29/21 at OKC, 4/8/84 vs. CLE).
• In the win, Brooklyn had six players record at least a +20 or better: Drake Powell (+31), Ziaire Williams (+28), Danny Wolf (+26), Tyrese Martin (+25), Nic Claxton (+23) and Egor Dëmin (+20). It was the fourth time in franchise history that at least six players have done so and the first time since their franchise-record seven on 3/15/22 at ORL in a 150-108 victory.
• Brooklyn tied their largest win in franchise history tonight with a 45-point (127-82) victory over Milwaukee (124-79 win over Washington on 1/9/93). It was their second most points of the season and fewest points allowed since November 2018 at Phoenix.
• The Nets shot 52.9% (45-85) FG, a season-high 44.2% (19-43) 3PT and 18-19 (94.7%) FT. It is their first time shooting 50-40-90 as a team in a win since 11/27/24 at Phoenix.
• Brooklyn’s 37 points in the first quarter tonight against Milwaukee tied their most in an opening frame this season (11/2 vs PHI)

Whew!

Next Up​

The Nets will get their first crack at the Miami Heat this year on Thursday evening after three days off. At the time of writing, Miami holds the east’s eighth best record at 14-11, having lost four straight. He won’t suit up, but it’ll be Haywood Highsmith’s first game against his former team.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 127, Milwaukee Bucks 82 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 127, Milwaukee Bucks 82 (Video) – NBA
• Steve Hetzel on Nets’ 127-82 victory (Video) – YES Network
• Egor Dёmin on being aggressive in Nets’ win (Video) – YES Network
• Tyrese Martin on Nets’ blowout win over Milwaukee (Video) – YES Network
• Nets rout Bucks 127-82 to match franchise record for margin of victory – Adry Torres – AP
• Nets tie franchise record with 45-point rout of Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Egor Dëmin, Drake Powell have perfect response after being called out by Nets coach – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Egor Demin answers the call as Nets roll past Bucks and tie largest margin of victory in franchise history ($) – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades: Egor Demin drops 17 in 127-81 win over Bucks ($) – USA TODAY

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-scores-results/103101/nets-vs-bucks-127-82-egor-demin-nic-claxton

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

The Long Forecast: Burries, Colvin rise as Peat headlines Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of The Long Forecast on NetsDaily.

As each week goes by, more tape on these prospects for the 2026 NBA draft class continues to surface, and they could go down as one of the most talented classes over the past decade.

Where do the Nets’ picks sit?​

Since last week’s column, Brooklyn has gone 1-1 and still owns the league’s sixth-worst record at 7–18, remaining in the same draft slot as a week ago.

As things stand, the Nets’ own second-round pick projects at No. 36 overall, while their additional second-round selection, acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, sits at No. 47.

Risers​

Bradyen Burries, Arizona

In 34 minutes against Alabama on Saturday, Burries poured in 28 points with seven rebounds and two assists, shooting 66.7% from the field and knocking down half of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Arizona Freshman Brayden Burries has ARRIVED!

28 PTS | 11-19 FG | 5-10 3PT | 7 REB pic.twitter.com/nsg7u8o9sq

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 14, 2025

On the season, the 6’4”, 205-pound guard is averaging 13.5 points in 27.2 minutes per game, though efficiency has been the swing factor in his evaluation. The 20-year-old is shooting 46.2% from the floor and 35% from three, numbers he’ll look to push upward.

Brayden Burries has been ELITE for @ArizonaMBB over his last four games pic.twitter.com/RAVXIXFp4C

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 14, 2025

Saturday’s performance against the Crimson Tide was a clear step in the right direction, showcasing the scoring profile and physical traits NBA teams covet at the shooting guard position.

Myles Colvin, Wake Forest

Colvin exploded for 33 points Sunday night, leading Wake Forest to a 111-73 win over Queens University Charlotte. He also finished with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the lopsided victory.

HISTORIC HALF IN WINSTON-SALEM

Myles Colvin shattered his career high with 33 PTS, including a perfect First half: 26 PTS | 8-8 FG | 6-6 3PT

Colvin set a Wake Forest record with 11-straight made shots. @WakeMBB | @DemonDeacons | #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/iVvZXDtu8V

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 15, 2025

A 6’8” athletic guard/wing, Colvin’s biggest knock a season ago was his inconsistency from beyond the arc. He has addressed that area early this year, shooting 40.7% from three through nine games.

His value extends beyond scoring. Colvin has established himself as a stingy perimeter defender, a trait NBA teams continue to prioritize in the modern game.

Insanity from Myles Colvin pic.twitter.com/yJDHOFA14w

— Cam Lemons Debro (@CamLemons_) November 4, 2025

As a riser in this class, he’s still making noticeable strides, and there remains plenty left for him to unlock, which only adds to his intrigue moving forward.

Fallers​

Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

Quaintance came into the season with real buzz, but the early returns have been discouraging. The tools are apparent, yet the production hasn’t been consistent, especially offensively, where he’s struggled to make a consistent impact.

There’s no long-term panic here; he’s still young, and there is plenty of room for growth, but right now, he needs to build consistency on both ends of the floor.

The 18-year-old is currently averaging 9.4 points per game and 7.9 rebounds throughout 29.5 minutes, while shooting 52.5% from the field and converting just 18.8% of his three-point chances.

It is also essential to keep in mind that he suffered a torn ACL less than one year ago.

Sleepers​

Amani Hansberry, Virginia Tech

Hansberry has taken a noticeable leap from his sophomore season into his junior campaign, emerging as a legitimate second-round sleeper.

Virginia Tech big Amani Hansberry has quietly been having a breakout year for the Hokies.

The former four-star has shown off his well-rounded skillset alongside Neoklis Avdalas through 8 games:

16.1 PTS
8.0 REB (2.8 ORB)
3.0 AST
1.0 BLK
1.2 STL
48.2 FG%
71.1 FT% pic.twitter.com/S8WVztvKGY

— Draftstack (@TheDraftstack) December 12, 2025

The 6’8”, 240-pound wing checks many of the boxes NBA teams look for in a diamond-in-the-rough prospect, starting with his feel for the game. He’s a smart, low-mistake player, averaging just 1.5 turnovers in 30.6 minutes per game this season.

Hokies race to the finish

Virginia Tech rolls past Western Carolina, 96–74, behind a huge night from Neoklis Avdalas — 30 PTS (10–17 FG, 4–8 3PT). Amani Hansberry stuffed the stat sheet with 18 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL.@HokiesMBB | @HokieSports | #GoHokies pic.twitter.com/Tu4ATNDmGI

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 12, 2025

Hansberry is producing at a high level, averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 50.4% from the field.

At the next level, he projects as an interior scorer who can defend on the wing, a skill set that continues to grow in value across the league.

Spotlight of the week​

Koa Peat, Arizona

As the NCAA season progresses, Peat’s play continues to stand out.

KOA PEAT ARE YOU SERIOUS

GET TO TNT NOW pic.twitter.com/Mogf5s2uE4

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 4, 2025

In nine games this season, Peat has averaged 14.8 points per game, coupled with five rebounds across 26.8 minutes on 55.4% shooting from the field.

Standing at 6’9”, Peat scores effectively down low, is a solid rebounder, and is able to defend multiple positions.

He has also emerged as one of the more effective playmaking wings in the college game, ranking in the 84th percentile in assists per 40 minutes.

Arizona freshmen Koa Peat was unreal vs the defending National Champs in Florida:

30 points
7rebounds
5 assists
3 steals
1 block
11/18 FG

Absolutely dominated Florida on both ends was quite unbelievable to watch in real time. pic.twitter.com/YlnX802oDt

— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) November 4, 2025

Peat offers the two-way impact that NBA talent evaluators want to see, and it’s why his name will continue to come up more and more as the draft approaches.

This week’s watch guide​

Here is a list of games fans should tune into this week:

• Lipscomb vs. Duke: December 16, 6 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Duke’s Dame Sarr.
• Louisville vs. Tennessee: December 16, 7 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Tennessee’s Nate Ammet and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
• Butler vs. UConn: December 16, 8:30 p.m. tip-off: Look out for UConn’s Braylon Mullins.
• South Florida vs. Alabama: December 17, 8 p.m. tip-off: Look out for Alabama’s Taylor Bol-Bowen.
• UNC vs. Ohio State: December 20, 3 p.m. tip-off. Look out for UNC’s Caleb Wilson.
• Colgate vs. Florida: December 21, 12 p.m. tip-off. Look out for Florida’s Boogie Fland.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-draf...-burries-colvin-rise-as-peat-headlines-week-3

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets, 6:00 PM ET

The Nets are back after a week off. They’ll face an 11-15 Bucks team that sorely needs wins.

KEY INFO​

WHO: Milwaukee Bucks (11-15) at Brooklyn Nets (6-18)

WHEN: 6 PM ET

WATCH: YES Network

INJURY REPORT​

• Saraf: OUT – Illness
• Thomas: OUT – Left Hamstring Strain
• Highsmith: OUT – Right Knee Surgery, Injury Recovery

Head coach Jordi Fernandez is also OUT with an illness.

***

Please be respectful with your comments. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-disc...on-milwaukee-bucks-at-brooklyn-nets-600-pm-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Sabrina Ionescu latest pro athlete to be victimized by burglars

Sabrina Ionescu and her husband NFL offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu have become the latest pro athletes to be victimized by burglars. Their Los Angeles home was entered and more than $60,000 in handbags were stolen.

According to NBC Los Angeles:

Police responded to the professional athletes’ home at about 8 p.m. A security alarm was activated when someone broke a glass sliding window at the rear of the residence. Two thieves in ski masks broke into the house and stole several handbags worth more than $60,000, authorities said.

The suspects then escaped by car, their direction unknown. Ionescu and Grasu were not home at the time, police said. No arrests have been made in the robbery, and an investigation is ongoing.

Ionescu is the latest pro athlete to be victimized. A number of professional athletes have faced similar incidents recently, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, then Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Last month, the home of Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ home was burglarized while he was making his NFL debut against the Baltimore Ravens.

Indeed, the last December, the FBI sent a warning to professional leagues noting that there are organized gangs targeting athletes. Then in February, seven Chilean men are facing federal charges in Florida related to a series of high-profile “crime tourism” burglaries of six professional athletes’ homes — including Mahomes, Kelce and Burrow — between October and December.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nyliberty...test-pro-athlete-to-be-victimized-by-burglars

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

RUMOR ROUND-UP: No action yet, just speculation

The first two milestones of trade season have passed. Monday was the first day that the 82 players signed in the summer could be dealt, bringing to 90% the percentage of players in the league trade pool. Then Tuesday was the last day a team could trade for player knowing they could turn him around at the deadline.

So for the next six weeks or so, from now until February 5 at 3:00 p.m. ET, it’s trade rumor season. As any NBA pundit can tell you from experience, the percentage of rumors that actually become real trades is very low and most trades take place just prior to the deadline. Nothing focuses the mind like a deadline. Indeed, trade machines were created because there’s a market for them.

At the moment, most of the traction around the Brooklyn Nets concern two, maybe three players. Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas top the list with some but rumors about Nic Claxton as well.

Erik Slater reported Wednesday that the Nets are open to taking calls on MPJ. Evan Sidery thinks the Pistons might be a landing spot to watch for him and Brian Lewis and Jake Fischer again note that Thomas’s market is bare … and everyone is reporting the Nets are trolling the league for more salary dumps if they can get Brooklyn more draft assets or a good young player.

MPJ and Thomas of course are on different ends of value. Porter is having his best season ever and at 27 is entering the prime of his career. The 24-year-old sharpshooter, on the other hand, seems to have few fans around the league and now has lost 70 games to hamstring strains over the past two seasons to four separate but recurring incidents: 53 games total last season and now 17 this one. It shouldn’t be surprising that Sean Marks & co. are taking calls on any of their 17 rostered players. They’re in a deep rebuild. As for Thomas, it seems like he may have played his last game in black-and-white. There’s at this point no date for his return and Jordi Fernandez pointedly said earlier this week that if he does return, he’ll likely have a different and probably lesser role.

Deals involving either would be tricky.

One reason that is that the Nets want to stay above the salary floor and avoid the sanctions applied to any team whose payroll dips 10% below the salary cap or $139.2 million. The Nets payroll is now at $139.4 million, meaning their cushion is tiny and they’d have to find a way to replace all that salary. Finding $6.0 million, Thomas salary, wouldn’t be that difficult, but Porter earns $38.1 million. The Nets would have a single business day to get back under the floor.

Thomas is in a bad place. He exercised his qualifying offer and passed on offers of $9.5 million plus incentives over one year and $30 million over two with the second year a team option. He’d have veto power over any trade but would lose his Bird Rights with his new team, limiting his earning power going forward.

Moving Claxton’s $25.4 million would also require tackling the salary floor issue, but while there have been recurring rumors of this team or that being interested in him, there hasn’t been a lot suggesting the Nets are interested in moving him. That obviously could change.

Of course, the big debate about whether to deal him or MPJ for more first round picks centers on whether trading them would salvage the tank and retain their chances of getting one of the top three picks in the 2026 Draft: Darry Peterson, the 6’5” Kansas guard, A.J. Dybantsa, the 6’9” BYU forward or Cam Boozer, the 6’10” Duke big. They’re all currently seen as franchise-changers, each better than Cooper Flagg! While the top of the draft is filled with other solid prospects, those three are seen as being a class of their own.

On the other side of the debate are those who abhor the tank or simply believe that the 27-year-old Porter and/0r the 26-year-old Claxton are young enough to be part of a Nets rebuild framework going forward. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that no matter where the Net finish they’ll wind up with one of the top three or four picks — Caleb Wilson, the 6’10” North Carolina small forward would be a solid consolation prize. With the sixth worst record, they have a nine percent chance at the overall No. 1 and a 37.5% at walking away with a top four pick six months from now.

Zach Harper of the Athletic thinks that the tank is unlikely to be affected that much by rumored trades.

“Nets don’t necessarily have to worry too much about lottery odds,” he wrote this week. “Things should correct themselves naturally with battles for the bottom of the cellar. But New Orleans and Indiana are worse than people thought they’d be. That has to have Brooklyn sweat it out.”

That said, insiders tell NetsDaily that there’s is no indication that Brooklyn is going to stray from its plan — abandon the “probabilities” of tanking in pursuit of a top pick. After all, Joe Tsai told a Los Angeles tech summit in September “We have one pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.”

Whatever the Nets plan, they should be well-prepared. They already command:

• 32 draft picks — 13 first rounders, all but one unprotected and 10 of which are tradeable; two unprotected first round swaps; 19 second rounders, all of which are tradeable;
• $15.3 million in salary cap space most in the NBA. They’re also $48.7 million below the luxury tax threshold, $55.8 million below the first apron and $67.7 million below the second;
• $8.8 million MLE which can be used if Nets go over cap.
• Two non-guaranteed contracts in Tyrese Martin and Jalen Wilson which can be waived by January 7;
• Two players with team options in Zaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe;
• Veteran wings on reasonable contracts in Haywood Highsmith and to a lesser degree, Terance Mann’
• An open two-way roster spot likely to be filled in next two weeks.

But Michael Porter Jr. is their biggest trade asset if they chose to make big moves. He is not just averaging 25.6 points on 50/40/81 shooting splits along with 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He’s assumed the role of leader on the league’s youngest roster. A few days ago, Fernandez suggested that Porter, who he knows well from working with him in Denver, is likely to get ever better across the board.

“I think that’s very important because Mike’s 27. It’s not like we’re just developing the young guys. If they don’t get better, it’s on us as coaches. I think Mike, from the defense. the rebounding, his stance, his physicality, and then offense, finishing his cuts, letting it fly, I think he’s shot more 3s than he’s ever shot per game. Obviously, it’s a different role, but he has to do that for the team because he’s so good and creates attention that helps our offensive rebounding, it helps his teammates, so all of those things are important.”

That doesn’t sound like the head coach wants to lose his star.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-rumors/103218/rumor-round-up-no-action-yet-just-speculation

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Nets vs. Heat preview: Rested and ready

After a nice four-day rest, the Nets are returning to action after their 127-82 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, tied for the biggest win in franchise history. What made the victory so great, besides four of the beloved Flatbush 5 getting some significant NBA minutes, was the fact that all but three players reached double digits in scoring. Even though Brooklyn, as an organization, is clearly focused on getting the best pick in the May lottery, the players and coaches are not. So, it’s moments like this that keep you going.

Tonight, the Nets will take on the Miami Heat, who have been struggling to say the very least. With a five game losing streak, the Heat will look to bounce back in the winning column despite being without some key players on the roster.

Where to Watch

Check out the action at 7:30 PM and the YES Network, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App. For the out-of-towners, the game will be on NBA League Pass

Injury Report

Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, E.J. Liddell, and Tyson Etienne will be reporting to Long Island. They’ll be traveling to Orlando for the G League Winter Showcase where they open up vs. the Mexico City Capitanes on Saturday. Cam Thomas (left hamstring) remains out and Haywood Highsmith, who will be facing his former team, is recovering from right knee surgery. No timetable for either player’s return.

For Miami, Tyler Herro (toe), Pelle Larson (ankle), and Nikola Jovic (elbow) will be out. Norman Powell (calf) is questionable. Terry Rozier remains suspended following his arrest in the NBA gambling scandal two months ago.

The Game

The Miami Heat have been through so much as an organization of late. The Terry Rozier gambling investigation not only is among the leading stories in the NBA, but in all of sports. His status remains uncertain both from a legal and basketball standpoint. Also, after returning to action in late November, Tyler Herro injured his toe, which led him to miss even more action.

“I just got to rest it and calm it down until I get back to normal,” Herro said Wednesday. “I’m going on the trip, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be back at some point on the trip, if not, then hopefully the week at home.”

To make matters even worse, the franchise’s greatest player was on video criticizing the team’s effort during the NBA Cup…

Dwyane Wade calls out the Heats lack of effort in the NBA cup vs Magic

“I was pissed off watching the effort that night, I didn’t like it. I’m yelling at the TV ‘YALL DONT WANT TO GO TO VEGAS?’ I need better effort. I’m used to Miami Heat team having resilience, that’s who we… pic.twitter.com/zBGzIo6vNX

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 16, 2025

So, it is possible the Nets can use their momentum from the victory against the Bucks as well as four wins in the last six to their advantage.

Nic Claxton will have his hands full with Bam Adebayo. He is currently averaging 19 points and nine rebounds on almost 50% shooting overall. Egor Demin will also have his hands full with Davion Mitchell, whose nickname (Off-Night) is well deserved as he can lock up any offensive player at the guard position. Good test for the young fella. Michael Porter Jr. will have to be the main catalyst offensively. We all know he can score, but if he facilitates and gets his teammates involved, the Nets should have a great chance of adding their recent success.

Player To Watch: Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. is quietly having the best year of his career. With averages of 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 51% shooting, Jaquez Jr. is on pace to be considered for both the MIP and Sixth Man Award. The UCLA product has done a great job in steeping in for the Heat while their main scorer is on the bench.

Despite the Heat’s funk, Jaquez remains upbeat but is dismissing speculation about the two awards.

“It’s kinda hard, everybody’s on social media. So, of course, you see it. But I try not to pay attention. My focus right now is on the team,” Jaquez said told TMZ three days ago. “I think when you win, good things happen for individuals. Focusing on winning is the most important part for me.”

Can he carry the load without so many teammates. At this point, he’ll have to. Miami has no choice.

From the Vault

It’s been a rough week for the world with the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner in Los Angeles, two students at Brown University in Providence and 15 Australian Jews celebrating Chanukah in Sydney. Tragedy was also barely avoided not far from Barclays Center Sunday when six teenagers were injured in a mass shooting outside the Burbuja Events venue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn. The victims, all between the ages of 15 and 17, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition.

Suffice it to say that sports can be a tonic, but it can’t be a remedy unless its values go beyond the court or the field. The world is the world and it’s up to everyone to make it better. Reiner was someone who understood that. Here’s a story from on his love of baseball and how every summer he would visit different MLB stadium.

More reading: Hot Hot Hoops, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter, City of Nets

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Miami Heat Game Notes – Miami Heat
• Miami takes on Brooklyn, seeks to end 5-game skid – AP
• Nets gearing up for hard part of the schedule – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Michael Porter Jr. playing like All-Star — but Nets know it’s on them to give him chance – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Inside the numbers behind Michael Porter Jr.’s rising All-Star case with Nets: ‘That’s what All-Stars do’ ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-game-previews/103231/nets-vs-heat-preview-rested-and-ready

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets drop sludge-fest to Miami Heat, 106-95

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

It’s become old news: The Brooklyn Nets of today are not nearly as helpless as the black-and-white outfit that both began the season 0-7 and were somehow less competitive than their record suggested.

Since then, they are 7-11 with a -1.2 net rating, not to mention 6-3 against below .500 opponents. Since the beginning of November, they’ve won Michael Porter Jr.‘s minutes outright; July’s full-time podcaster is December’s All-Star candidate. How strongly you feel the Nets should tank — *ahem* maximize their NBA Draft Lottery odds — will inform how excited you are about this development, but there is one aspect of Brooklyn’s recent success we can all celebrate: If they keep playing this well, the discussion will be moot.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat entered Barclays Center on Thursday night having lost five straight games, a span in which Erik Spoelstra’s funky, screen-less offense has been the league’s worst. “Earlier in the season, we were able to get whatever we wanted because they didn’t know our offense, our system,” said a drearily honest Norman Powell earlier this week.

On paper, a pretty fair fight, especially with Miami’s Tyler Herro ruled out due to a toe injury. Aside from the continued absences of Cam Thomas and Haywood Highsmith, the Nets were perfectly healthy. That is, until Drake Powell sprained his right ankle three minutes after checking in on Thursday night…

Breaking

Drake Powell helped to the locker room after turning his ankle. #Netsworld pic.twitter.com/JifScCVM6U

— NetsKingdom (@NetsKingdomAJ) December 19, 2025

That’s the same ankle Powell sprained twice to open this season. He was ruled out for the night immediately after exiting the contest, and the Nets had no further updates postgame. The Nets later had another injury scare when Noah Clowney knocked knees with Simone Fontecchio and exited the game in the second quarter, though he was available to start the second half.

While it wasn’t the prettiest display of basketball, it ultimately was a fair fight. The Heat jumped out to an early 11-point lead as Jordi Fernández sighed and clacked his teeth as his team’s lack of effort, but that was the worst things got. Brooklyn trailed by just three after the first quarter, and five at halftime after Norman Powell hit a 45-foot H-O-R-S-E shot…

NORMAN POWELL FROM HALF COURT pic.twitter.com/qPcIStnpT9

— Heat Clips (@MiamiClip) December 19, 2025

Aside from Powell, who scored a team-high 24 points on the night, nobody on either side could find his outside shot. That includes Michael Porter Jr., who didn’t get it going until semi-garbage time. Overall, MPJ needed 24 shots to get to his 28 points; given the way he’s shot the rock to begin the season, it’s tough for him to take a truly bad shot, but he did his damndest on Thursday.

Not that he was entirely misguided. As a team, Brooklyn shot a disgusting 11-of-49 from three, or 22.4%, in increasingly desperate need of a jumpstart as the game dredged on. Still, they stayed in the game thanks to similar inaccuracy on the other side and by Nic Claxton’s 16/12/8/2/3 on 8-of-9 shooting. Over the last few years, Clax and Bam Adebayo have honed if not quite a heated rivalry, then a platonic annoyance with each other. Clax won the first round of 2025-26, as Bam scored just eight points of 4-of-13 shooting with five fouls, watching the end of the game from the bench.

Turns out, Miami didn’t need him! Their other big, the demonically long and springy Kel’el Ware, put up a 22-and-12 double-double along with four blocks. With the Nets struggling from outside, Ware dominating the inside was enough to hand Brooklyn their lowest point total of the season. By the end of the night, the Nets were so sick of Ware that Terance Mann hit him with a flagrant foul that spelled the end of a half-hearted comeback attempt…

Terrance Mann with a hard foul on ware pic.twitter.com/3x53UNCjSz

— Heat Clips (@MiamiClip) December 19, 2025

With Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore on G League assignment and Powell an early exit, the only rookies that could have saved the day were Egor Dëmin and Danny Wolf. Both had their moments, both had their missteps. Wolf played nearly 20 minutes, posting 9/5/2 with three turnovers, including a couple eyesores after Fernández said “the assist-turnover ratio is something that he has to do better [in],” pregame.

Egor Dëmin, despite constant harassment from Davion Mitchell, got up 18 shot-attempts, tying his career-high. He made just five of them, hoisting some 3-point attempts that were only a notch less desperate than a prayer, though you can’t have trial-and-error without the error. Dëmin did provide the last gasp of hope for Brooklyn, cutting the deficit to four with five minutes left, ultimately ensuring this would count as a “clutch-time” loss…

let it fly, @whoisegor3 pic.twitter.com/tqgOA7g76K

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 19, 2025

Miami didn’t need their innovative offense the shred Brooklyn’s defense on Thursday, they just needed to contain Michael Porter Jr. and watch Noah Clowney have his worst offensive game of the year, as the third-year Net shot 2-of-13 from the floor and 0-of-9 from three.

Fernández was not upset with his team’s effort after the game: “Little mistakes that you can correct, and shots going in or not — I’m happy with the looks that we had that didn’t go in. So sometimes, a little bit of that is the difference, right? Like, they’re a good running team, and we did a better job in the second half, holding them to four fast-break points instead of, I thought it was 13 in the first … I’m very proud of them, you know, how the team fought and competed all the way through.”

Alas, Fernández was less happy with the officials, who awarded Brooklyn just 11 free-throws, including just one solitary attempt in the first half: “I thought for the most part, they called a good football game out there, because it was not basketball.”

Brooklyn didn’t do anything that objectionable on Thursday night, instead just a victim to one of those nights that an 82-game NBA season will often produce. But that didn’t make it any less ugly, and Brooklyn falls to 1-15 against teams .500 or better. The Nets are much improved, far from pathetic … but world-beaters, they are not.

Final Score: Miami Heat 106, Brooklyn Nets 95

Milestone Report​

Nic Claxton was the lone bright spot from Thursday’s loss, as evidenced by these stats from Nets PR.

• Claxton finished the night with 16 points (8-9 FG), 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals. It was the third time a player has reached such minimums in franchise history, joining Kenyon Martin (3/5/01) and Derrick Coleman (1/3/92).
• Clax has five games this season with at least 10/10/6. He had two such games through the first six seasons of his career.

Injury Update​

As mentioned, Jordi Fernández did not have an update on Drake Powell after the game, who missed five of Brooklyn’s first eight games with the same right ankle sprain (and received a DNP in another).

However, in pregame, Fernández did provide an update on Haywood Highsmith: “Right now he’s on the court with coaches. He hasn’t gotten to five-on-five yet, or contact, per se. So when he is taking these next steps, we’ll let you guys know. But he’s done a good job. And the most important thing to me is his veteran leadership, and how important he is to the rest of the group, especially the young guys.”

Well…not that much of an update.

Next Up​

Miami was the first of three straight Eastern Conference opponents for the Nets, all with a winning record. Next up is the Toronto Raptors, once again at home. Tip-off is scheduled for Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Miami Heat 106, Brooklyn Nets 95 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Miami Heat 106, Brooklyn Nets 95 (Video) – NBA
• Heat beat the Nets 106-95 to snap a 5-game losing streak – AP
• Nets undone by poor shooting performance in putrid loss to Heat – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets gearing up for hard part of the schedule – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Drake Powell’s early exit compounds offensive woes in Nets’ 106-95 loss to Heat ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets Notebook: Haywood Highsmith still progressing, no timeline for return ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets rookie Drake Powell ruled out of Heat matchup due to ankle sprain – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Nets player grades: Michael Porter Jr. drops 28 in 106-95 loss to Heat – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-scor...s-heat-106-95-michael-porter-jr-norman-powell

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Danny Wolf diplomatic in discussing ‘Jewish Jokic’ nickname

Draymond Green was lamenting how pundits and fans are attaching one descriptor or another to players who like Nikola Jokic are mutli-talented seven-footers or near seven-footers. It’s silly, he said.

“We got the Jewish Joker, now. We got the Baby Joker [Alpern Sengun, Derik Queen]. Enough, man,” said Green oh his podcast last week. He could have also added the Chinese Jokic, Hansen Yang, to his list. “I have to f–king guard Joker. You mean to tell me everyone’s just Joker? F–k out of here. No disrespect to Danny Wolf; I haven’t played against him. But enough of comparing everybody to Joker.”

Wolf, the Nets point center, doesn’t really disagree, but in comments to both Erik Slater and Brian Lewis, he said he’s flattered by the description.

“I don’t know the number, but a lot of my friends and family sent me that clip. Yeah, it was definitely pretty funny,” Wolf told The Post. “I didn’t really react much to it. I don’t have too much of an opinion. I mean, being compared to the greatest player in the world right now obviously is cool.

“But there’s obviously this trend of slapping the term Jokic on younger bigs who can pass and play-make. But in all honesty, I don’t really play that much like him. Obviously, I’m a bigger guy with a different, unique kind of game. I don’t really have too many thoughts on [Green,] but yeah, it was definitely an interesting clip.”

Wolf noted to Slater that he plays a “unique game” not unlike the Denver Nuggets center but different…

“It’s a compliment to be compared to, in my opinion, the greatest player in the world right now.”

Danny Wolf speaks on his Jewish Joker nickname and Draymond Green’s strong opinion about it. pic.twitter.com/1vLa9iuisK

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) December 18, 2025

“It’s kind of an easy thing to slap on young bigs who can kinda pass the ball because Jokic in our day and age is the prime example of that,” the 21-year-old Michigan and Yale product told Slater. “Obviously, I’ve only been in the league a little bit but but I play a unique game. Definitely, there are some things to it that aren’t as normal in the NBA so to speak and obviously it’s a compliment to be compared to, in my opinion, but I think my game is different than his.”

“I don’t have too much of a comment on it but it’s definitely a complement.”

Of course, Wolf is nowhere near Jokic’s production, but the 27th pick last June — 14 places ahead where Jokic was taken in the 2014 NBA Draft (famously during a Taco Bell commercial.) has bloomed of late, as Lewis noted.

Wolf went into Thursday first among qualified rookies in Net Rating (+8.3), and second in plus/minus (+2.8 per game), behind only the Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe.

And as far as questions about hiding him on defense? He was third in the NBA in Defensive Rating (98.5), and his Defensive Field Goal Percentage of 40 percent led all rookies who’d faced over 30 shots.

The one-time member of Israel’s junior national team admitted to Lewis that he carries a chip on his shoulder about those doubts.

“There were a lot of questions from teams and front offices as to who I could guard. I took that as a chip on my shoulder to prove that I can more than guard in this league,” Wolf said. “But it’s a work in progress, and I need to continue to get quicker and stronger.

“Over the summer, I just really repped out my shot, and I knew in pre-draft and my workouts I was shooting the crap out of the ball. … And I’ve been in an organization that wants to shoot 3s. The coaches trust me shooting, my teammates trust me, so whenever I’m open I’m gonna let it fly.”

• Danny Wolf isn’t worrying about his Jewish Joker nickname — or Draymond Green’s thoughts about it – Brian Lewis – New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-news/103247/danny-wolf-diplomatic-in-discussing-jewish-jokic-nickname

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

How NBA All-Star voting works in 2025 — and where Nets fit in

NBA All-Star voting has changed over time, but this season’s process looks quite similar to last year’s.

How All-Star Starters Are Picked​

The starters for the NBA All-Star Game are chosen through a hybrid voting system designed to mix public opinion with inside perspectives:

• Fans: 50% of the vote
• NBA players: 25%
• Media panel: 25%

Each group submits ballots, and the votes are combined to determine the starters at each spot. The players with the highest cumulative votes become All-Star starters.

Fans can vote once per day during the voting window, which opened on Wednesday and runs through Jan 14.

How Reserves Are Selected​

Once the starters are locked in, a different group decides the next wave of All-Stars: the NBA head coaches.

Coaches vote for the All-Star reserves, typically seven players from each conference, but they cannot vote for their own players.

What’s Different This Year​

A few changes this season are worth noting:

No positional requirements for voting:
In previous years, the starters had to fit specific position slots (two guards, three frontcourt players). This year, ballots are positionless, meaning fans and others can vote for any five players regardless of traditional spots.

New game format (USA vs. World):
Besides the voting itself, the All-Star Weekend format has changed. Instead of the traditional East vs. West exhibition, this year’s All-Star event will feature two U.S. teams and one World team in a round-robin tournament followed by a championship game.

Brooklyn’s only All-Star case​

This season, the Nets’ only All-Star contender is their leading scorer, forward Michael Porter Jr., who ranks 14th in the NBA at 25.7 points per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. He is also averaging 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

In a recent article by the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Porter Jr. explained what an All-Star selection would mean to him.

“It definitely would be a dream come true,” Porter Jr. said. “It was in my mind as a kid to make the NBA, but not only be in the NBA, but be one of the best players in the NBA. And an All-Star selection shows that progress.”

While it has always been a goal, Porter Jr. made it clear that winning remains his priority.

“But it’s definitely not what I’m thinking of,” he said. “I’ve always tried to be more process-oriented and do the right things day to day, game to game, and let the results take care of itself. I feel like when people start focusing and reaching really hard for a result, that’s when it can evade them. If I make it, cool. If not, I’m going on vacation. So I’m not really tripping either way.”

Of course, making the All-Star team won’t be easy when your team has the sixth worst record in the league.

Might anyone get some votes? Nic Claxton is having the best season of his career. He’s averaging 13.5 points on 56.4% shooting overall an has upped his free throw percentage from 51.3% last season to nearly 70% so far this season. He’s also averaging 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Where to vote? Right here!

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-news...ar-voting-works-in-2025-and-where-nets-fit-in

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Injuries, illness, flashes too in Brooklyn Nets Rookie Report — No. 6

Sports fandom is increasingly an exercise in mock GM’ing. The rise of fantasy sports certainly played a role as well as the shift from analysis in mainstream sports media to trade/free agency rumors and clips of “debate shows” on YouTube Shorts, or maybe it’s just the technocratic optimization of pro sports … along with every other cultural pastime that we have.

Yes, fans have always had opinions on trades and free agency signings. But, faced with irrefutable evidence that better ball-players are often selected higher in amateur drafts, and that middling or losing teams shouldn’t pretend a first-round playoff exit is worth more than a higher pick in said draft — if the one true goal is a championship — we clamor for our middling or losing teams to lose. To tank — which is to say so much losing that there is no shame, only embarrassment, only a feeling. And it is mostly washed over by the fact that players on those tanking teams are place-holders for those unknown future players who will come in and eventually do the winning.

Even the curmudgeons adapt to the world of optimized sports. You miss Andray Blatche taking stepback 16-footers (welcome to the club), but deep down, you know he probably should’ve just taken those catch-and-shoot threes. You miss the idea of a menacing cleanup hitter, but you understand why a team’s best hitter shouldn’t be placed 44.4% of the way down the lineup.

These are the rules that have been laid out for us sports fans. Jordi Fernández benching Egor Dëmin after a few defensive mistakes or the Brooklyn Nets keeping Danny Wolf in the G League for the first month of the season can seem like a violation of the rules. If Brooklyn tanked to draft these guys, and if game reps are the most valuable thing for a young player (as Fernández often likes to say) and if the Nets’ future depends upon developing their young players … then why didn’t they arrive in Brooklyn with the keys in their hands? Doesn’t seem very optimal.

I think teams break the rules more than the fans. The Nets don’t want to have a miserable locker room losing day in and day out. The Nets wanted to hang onto Cam Johnson just a little bit longer because people loved him. Fernández doesn’t want the locker room to ask why a 20-year-old Drake Powell can play through the mistakes that a 24-year-old Ziaire Williams cannot.

Human emotions are still resent in every decision, minor or major. What’s gonna happen with this tank? I have no idea. But with Brooklyn’s rookies slowly entrenching themselves in the rotation, not to mention that Cam Johnson tradeis looking pretty decent, maybe it’s okay to simply grimace and hope for the best. (Seriously though, what is gonna happen with this tank?!?)

Egor Dëmin​

Season stats: 24 GP, 23.1 MPG, 8.7/3.1/3.4 slash line, 38/34/84 shooting splits. 1.7 TO + 2.0 PF + 1.2 stock (stl+blk) per game.

Stats last two weeks: 3 GP, 24 MPG, 11.3/2.0/1.7 slash line, 12-of-33 FG, 6-of-20 3P, 4-of-5 FT. Five TO + five PF + five stocks (stl+blk) total.

Over the last two weeks, the Nets have played just three games thanks to the scheduling shenanigans of the In-Season Tournament, but Egor Dëmin has nonetheless seen some ups and downs. He was invisible in Dallas, scoring three points on seven shots, playing just 18 minutes, before a 17-point performance vs. Milwaukee.

“That’s something coaches kind of want from me, obviously. That’s something I’m looking for, trying to look for, and the adjustment is now me doing it every game, but that’s something I really have to try to follow it every single game,” said Dëmin of maintaining his aggressiveness.

Facing the Miami Heat on Thursday night, he was constantly harassed by Davion Mitchell but he did follow through on his promise to be more aggressive. It was quite the challenge…

Davion Mitchell is insane defensivley pic.twitter.com/BdME14nLK8

— Heat Clips (@MiamiClip) December 19, 2025

Dëmin shot 5-of-18, tying his season-high in attempts, and recorded just one assist, tying a season-low.

He took 12 of his shots from three, including some prayers like the one above, and while that might not be exactly what his coaches have in mind when they ask for more aggressiveness, it’s all part of the trial-and-error. Particularly if you’re asking him to create from a standstill…

The Nets are asking Egor to try and touch the paint, first and foremost. Aggressiveness and scoring are not wholly synonymous … but maybe they’re a little synonymous. Per NBA tracking, Dëmin passes out of 51.2% of his drives, the highest share of any Net, and second-highest mark of any NBA player that is at least 6’8”.

Plays like these…

…where Egor eats up all the space in front of him and realizes he can beat both PnR defenders to the rim are major highlights. He’ll eventually have to blend these takes with his passing; he often commits to either the shot or pass a bit early, and it’s why he hasn’t assisted on many two-point baskets this season, including zero lob passes so far.

Danny Wolf​

Season stats: 12 GP, 18 MPG, 8.8/4.3/1.8 slash line, 42/35/89 shooting splits. 1.5 TO + 1.0 PF + 0.7 stock (stl+blk) per game.

Stats last two weeks: 3 GP, 23 MPG, 11.3/5.3/1.7 slash line, 13-of-33 FG, 4-of-14 3P, 4-of-6 FT. Five TO + one PF + five stock (stl+blk) total.

Danny Wolf, on the other hand, needs no reminders to be aggressive. The Nets are still winning his minutes. They’re nine points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court. After just 200 minutes this seems like little more than a noisy small sample. They haven’t been able to score well with him on the court, though their opponents have completely forgotten how to shoot, and while Wolf hasn’t been terrible on defense, it seems unlikely that that accurately reflects his impact. (I’ll admit, though, that when he plays next to Day’Ron Sharpe as he often has, that’s a fearsome defensive rebounding duo.)

Naturally, the turnovers have been a big point of contention so far. Fernández has called them out a couple times, including before Brooklyn’s contest against the Heat. A friend who works in NBA Draft scouting apparatus half-jokingly said to me, “Okay, Wolf might be a real NBA player, but I don’t know if I could ever trust him in the last five minutes of the game.”

Now, you’d typically associate a high-turnover big with a lower feel, lesser basketball instincts, whatever…but I’ve been quite impressed with this part of Wolf’s transition to the NBA. He’s slow when rotating and closing out, sure, but he knows where to go. And offensively, he consistently makes plays like this: a timely sacrifice cut to create an open three, then burning Cooper Flagg by relocating and driving off the catch…

Of his 18 total turnovers, only two of them have been “lost ball” turnovers, according to Basketball Reference, as opposed to bad passes or illegal screens/charges/3-second calls. Though an incredibly small sample size, that’s a promising start, because one of Wolf’s best attributes is how he keeps the dribble alive. This play doesn’t happen if Wolf picks the ball up early…

just tough to guard. CHI trying to deny MPJ's second touch and here's an impromptu blind DHO, high enough up the court that MPJ can flow into a three: pic.twitter.com/1CxKiuNE17

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) December 4, 2025

And this persistent drive against Flagg gets him all the way to the cup…

Can Wolf cut down the turnovers? Can he keep shooting 39% from three? If he does both, he’ll be a pretty good offensive player, but he’s already a promising one.

Drake Powell​

Season stats: 19 GP, 17.7 MPG, 6.0/1.8/1.9 slash line, 49/38/95 shooting splits. 1.2 TO + 1.7 PF + 0.9 stock (stl+blk) per game.

Stats last two weeks: N/A (two games with three minutes played)

Drake Powell rolled his right ankle again on Thursday, though again, he was walking around the locker room postgame without crutches or a boot or even a limp. Before that, he logged just three minutes of PT against the Mavericks due to what Jordi Fernández termed a lack of “readiness to play,” though Powell responded with a 13/4/3 performance against the Bucks.

“I respect him [Fernández] for that. It just shows that he cares, not only about me as a basketball player but as a human being,” said Powell of the tough love.

Despite the hiccup, Powell has been Brooklyn’s most consistent rookie so far; barring a couple catch-and-shoot threes either rimming in or out, you know what you’re getting on a night-to-night basis, an athletic off-guard trying to hound his opponents and expand his offensive game bit by bit. To that end, I wish Brooklyn ran in transition more, putting Powell in, like, some 3-on-3 situations instead of always having to play 5-on-5.

Alas, per Synergy Sports tracking, Brooklyn has posted the third-lowest share of possessions in transition to this point in the season, and they run even less frequently with Powell on the court. The defense has improved, but it hasn’t made them any faster, exactly.

The head coach explained why: “With the better rebounding, we saw an increase of opportunities. The problem was the amount of turnovers that happened in transition. So those are the things that we have to work on … The priority, I thought, it was rebounding and containing the ball, and I think we’ve done a better job with that. Now we got to go the other way and run, so one step at a time.”

Powell doesn’t yet have counters for when he sees a crowded paint, but when he has space to attack…

…the flashes can be quite bright. Mind the cherry-picking (and the turnover rate), but Powell is one just three rookies shooting 50% from two, 35% from three, and 90% from FT (min. 50 FGA). Ice, elevate that ankle and then give us more please!

Nolan Traore​

In the last Rookie Report, I praised Nolan Traore’s 3-point shot, and hey would you look at that? Over his last nine games, Traore is shooting 25-of-49 from deep, over 50% on 5.4 attempts per game. That, in part, earned him a call-up to the big league club, where he played nine minutes against both Dallas and Milwaukee.

“Nolan deserved to play because he’s done so well with Long Island,” said Fernández. “He’s gotten better every single game, not just the numbers, it’s how he was playing. He was playing the same way we want him to play here: confident, shooting the ball, assist:turnover ratio great, all that stuff about ball-pressuring.”

Fernandez does not appreciate anybody trying to knock his small minute-count either: “Those minutes mean so much. Real minutes mean a lot. So I know that, whatever, eight-to-ten minutes may not seem a lot, but you can really help a team win a game in nine, ten minutes. There’s winning plays, there’s winning stretches.”

You can see Traore’s confidence growing. He hasn’t been perfect down on the Island, but he less often looks overmatched. Anecdotally, some of his drives have felt more under control, even if he’s not getting all the way to the rack…

Clutch bucket for Nolan pic.twitter.com/AHEvyK29Yk

— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) December 2, 2025

He’s recorded only six turnovers in his last four games with LIN, after posting three separate games of six turnovers earlier in the season.

Traore didn’t pop off the screen in his 18 NBA minutes this past week; however, he didn’t commit a single turnover, even if he was a bit hesitant to shoot. He wasn’t playing totally free out there, but he was far from shell-shocked. One more run of G League minutes might just be enough to push him back up to Brooklyn full-time, particularly if the tanking intensifies.

Ben Saraf​

Saraf has been assigned to the G League, as the Long Island Nets embark on a three-game road trip starting on Saturday in Mexico City. We’ll see if he’s recalled to Brooklyn anytime during the trip, though it might be nice to get him consistent run after he missed the last two games with an illness.

Despite the occasional highlight, Saraf has really struggled in either location, and while it’s not time to worry about his G League production, 25 assists to 24 made baskets to 23 turnovers likely isn’t the ratio the Nets are looking for from the #26 overall pick. Don’t be surprised if Saraf’s G League stint lasts longer than expected.

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As mentioned, the Long Island Nets take on the Mexico City Capitanes on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET, where Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are expected to play. That game will be available for ESPN+ subscribers.

The Brooklyn Nets take on the Toronto Raptors at home on Sunday evening, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET. We’ll have to see about Drake Powell’s ankle, but barring a surprise, Danny Wolf and Egor Dëmin will suit up for that one.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-anal...ashes-too-in-brooklyn-nets-rookie-report-no-6