With a record of 25-51 before playing the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Nets only have six games remaining as they officially were eliminated from postseason competition last week. Now, the May 12 NBA Draft Lottery, which will decide where the franchise will pick in June’s draft, is the most important date on the team’s calendar.
Brooklyn hopes to draft a transformational player who can become a superstar and lead the franchise’s turnaround. In today’s league, winning without at least one NBA superstar is impossible, and most top teams have two or more stars.
Nets rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez still has his squad competing intensely. They host the Timberwolves after having won two straight — road victories over Washington Wizards last Saturday (115-112) and the Dallas Mavericks (113-109) on Monday. It is the Nets’ first win streak of two or more games since taking three in a row in early February. Despite trailing the Mavericks twice in the fourth quarter, the Nets displayed what Fernandez calls Brooklyn grit to earn the win.
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“I think our guys have always fought back, and no matter what, we have been in all these games competing and fighting for games,” said Fernandez. “It doesn’t always go your way, but I think that is the mindset, and no matter how much time is left on the clock, we are going to keep fighting and keep trying to steal possessions…
“I think that this group has done it consistently,” Fernandez continued, “and it was good to see because … being down 10, sometimes you get discouraged.”
Fernandez recognized guards Keon Johnson and Tyrese Martin as being instrumental in the comeback. Both guards have capitalized on being in the team’s rotation this season due to roster changes through trades and numerous injuries to players including guard Cam Thomas, who was Brooklyn’s leading scorer at 24 points per game but played in just 25 games; Thomas was shut down on March 13 for the remainder of this season with a strained left hamstring.
“You see them from the first day in the summer, Tyrese is fighting for a two-way contract, and then Keon is there as a roster guy to try to get in the rotation at some point, and you see how they evolved,” Fernandez said.
“The most important thing is yes, they’re having fun, but they’ve been building this every day, coming to practice with positive energy, building relationships, and then what you see out there is a competitive group. A group that is selfless and that is connected. And that’s what we expect for every single one of our guys. These two especially, they’ve done an amazing job and I’m happy for them because they deserve this success and this development.”
Following the Timberwolves, the Nets will meet the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at the Barclays and the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday in Brooklyn.