<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-rookie-hilarious-bench-reaction-nickname-after-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets rookie earns hilarious bench reaction, nickname after home debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rookie-earns-hilarious-bench-reaction-nickname-after-home-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets rookie earns hilarious bench reaction, nickname after home debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T09:20:57-07:00">October 15th, 9:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T09:23:13-07:00">October 15th, 9:23am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Several <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cam-thomas-responding-jordi-fernandez-challenge-preseason">Brooklyn Nets players performed well</a> during Monday’s 139-92 preseason win over the Washington Wizards. However, the highlight of the night came from an unlikely candidate: rookie Cui Yongxi.</p><p>The Chinese prospect, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-sign-chinese-star-yongxi-cui-two-way-contract">signed a two-way contract with the Nets</a> before training camp, drained back-to-back buckets upon checking in late in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn’s <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1846016118982357175" rel="noopener">bench erupted after the sequence</a>.</p><p>“Everybody was lit,” Cam Thomas said. “He hit the three and everybody got lit. And then he called for the iso and everybody just went crazy. So it’s definitely good for everyone to see we all like each other. I feel like that all helps us as a team. We all like each other, and we all want to see each other succeed, no matter who it is.”</p><p>“That’s really one of the things [head] coach [Jordi Fernandez] has been preaching to us. Just being connected, being together as a team, and being happy for each other’s success. I feel like that’s really helping us build relationships with each other. So it was really good, definitely fun to see.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="qme">😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/MLtY1JXDNr">https://t.co/MLtY1JXDNr</a> <a href="https://t.co/s6zML5WzDS">pic.twitter.com/s6zML5WzDS</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1846009607204098305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><h2>Cui Yongxi turns heads during brief minutes in Nets debut</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Cui-Yongxi.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Cui is the first Chinese player to join the Nets since owner <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/joe-tsai">Joe Tsai</a> took over the team. Despite several Chinese fans attending the game to see him play, the 21-year-old said he wasn’t feeling pressure during his Brooklyn debut.</p><p>“I had nothing in my mind,” he said. ‘When I’m open, I just shoot straight to the hoop. Score or not, it didn’t matter because I was focused on the game with my teammates on defense. When I have a shot I can take, of course I take it.”</p><p>Cui also drew rave reviews for his outfit, a traditional black Chinese suit, which he said he wore for luck. The style choice earned him the nickname “GQ Jackie” from his Nets teammates.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jacky Cui broke out the Chinese suit tonight and got a new nickname from his Nets teammates:</p><p>“GQ Jackie”</p><p>Said he’d hook Jalen Wilson up with one. <a href="https://t.co/zraA2FjZqx">pic.twitter.com/zraA2FjZqx</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1846022314380415218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cui played his last two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 45/36/81 shooting splits over 99 appearances. After turning heads at the G-League scouting combine, the 6-foot-6 wing played for the Portland Trail Blazers at Summer League. He passed on an Exhibit 10 contract with Portland over the summer, eventually landing a two-way deal <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/5-must-watch-nets-games-2024-25-schedule">with the Nets</a>.</p><p>Cui should spend time in the NBA and G-League this season alongside fellow two-way signing Jaylen Martin. The first-year Net is the ninth Chinese player to play in the NBA, according to RealGM. He and Kyle Anderson are the league’s only active Chinese players.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets rookie earns hilarious bench reaction, nickname after home debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-cam-thomas-responding-jordi-fernandez-challenge-preseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Cam Thomas responding to Jordi Fernandez challenge during preseason action');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ct.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Cam Thomas responding to Jordi Fernandez challenge during preseason action</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T21:32:19-07:00">October 14th, 9:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T21:32:19-07:00">October 14th, 9:32pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-why-brooklyn-could-benefit-holding-off-cam-thomas-extension">Jordi Fernandez emphasized one goal for Cam Thomas</a> this season: he wanted to help the fourth-year guard be more efficient offensively, on and off the ball. Through two preseason games, Thomas has shown improvement in that department.</p><p>The 22-year-old turned in an impressive offensive performance during a 131-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. He posted 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three. The showing comes after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cam-thomas-balanced-role-headlines-nets-opener">Thomas scored 12 points on five shots during Brooklyn’s preseason</a> opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.</p><p>“I’m just getting out and running more, getting a lot of easier shots,” Thomas said after the win. “Just playing off the ball a little bit and shooting the catch-and-shoot shots that I’m given. Obviously, at some point I’m gonna be able to create and do a lot of the one-on-one game because sometimes that’s what the game requires. But right now, I’m just trying to play within the offense and find my spots. I’ve been doing that and making my shots and executing really well out of it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Back-to-back tough buckets for Cam Thomas. <a href="https://t.co/aF0Rha7hLW">pic.twitter.com/aF0Rha7hLW</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1845978054557925630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Thomas received a boost from several of his Nets teammates throughout the decisive win.</p><h2>Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons lead Nets in blowout of Wizards</h2><p>Ben Simmons also impressed against Washington after a quiet night against the Clippers. The three-time All-Star posted 11 points, five rebounds and two assists on 5-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes.</p><p>Simmons was aggressive out of the gate in Brooklyn’s five-out offense without Nic Claxton. He drove to the basket three times on the game’s first two possessions, resulting in two easy layups.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons drives to the basket three times on the Nets' first two possessions.</p><p>Two of them result in easy layups. <a href="https://t.co/CGijNHQbOR">pic.twitter.com/CGijNHQbOR</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1845978696131195245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This preseason marks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-new-admission-about-injury-last-season">Simmons’ first game action in over seven months</a> after he underwent back surgery in May. With two performances under his belt, the 28-year-old said he feels 100 percent physically as the regular season approaches. Fernandez said Simmons’ limited minutes vs. Washington are part of a return to play progression, although he intended to play him more.</p><p>“We had a plan for him,” the coach said. “When you have a back surgery you have to build up and go one step at a time so your body can adjust. Real minutes are never going to be replicated anywhere, even if you train. You don’t have the fans, you don’t have the officials. So that build up has to make sense. We have guys working here with us, our performance and medical teams that are really good at what they do. I listen to what they have to tell us.</p><p>“We had a plan where he should’ve played more minutes. The reason why he only played one more minutes than last game is because I made a mistake. It should’ve been more minutes in that first half.”</p><p>Sophomores Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson were also bright spots during the win. Clowney posted 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals on 5-of-7 shooting. Wilson added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.</p><p>Clowney is primed for an expanded role following a promising rookie campaign, while Wilson could be in line for a rotation spot after earning MVP honors at this year’s Summer League.</p><p>Shake Milton chipped in 16 points and three assists on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. The veteran guard joined the Nets in a sign-and-trade from the New York Knicks as part of Brooklyn’s return for Mikal Bridges.</p><p>The Nets will continue preseason action on Wednesday with a road matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Cam Thomas responding to Jordi Fernandez challenge during preseason action

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-player-who-will-shock-nba-with-breakout-2024-25-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nets-player-who-will-shock-NBA-with-breakout-2024-25-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T21:16:42-07:00">October 14th, 9:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T21:16:42-07:00">October 14th, 9:16pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2024-25 season figures to bring a year of development for a Brooklyn Nets team that, all things considered, may be the worst in the entire association. The Nets front office knew that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ben-simmons-among-3-nets-with-most-to-prove-during-2024-25-season">running it back would be pointless</a>, so they decided to trade Mikal Bridges away for a haul of draft picks. Doing so, however, means that the Nets will be destined straight for the bottom of the NBA standings.</p><p>The harsh reality of contending windows in the NBA is that they can slam shut, and slam shut indeed it did for the Nets after they traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving away. But now that the Nets have embraced the youth movement, they can now give much-needed developmental minutes to their most promising players — with Cam Thomas looking primed for another huge scoring leap following his impressive 2023-24 campaign.</p><p>Thomas, however, is an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cam-thomas-brooklyn-2024-25-win-projection">obvious breakout candidate</a>. The Nets don’t have too many players on the roster who can manufacture scoring for themselves, so all the makings are there for Thomas to have as many shot attempts as his heart desires.</p><p>In this exercise, we will be looking at a potential breakout player for the Nets who is flying under the radar. (And no, Ben Simmons doesn’t count.) During the 2023-24 silly season, Noah Clowney flashed his potential as a long-term keeper for the Nets in the frontcourt, and he could be someone who shocks the world by emerging as a nightly contributor for a Brooklyn team destined for the top of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.</p><h2><b>Noah Clowney is the Nets’ surprise breakout candidate</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nets-forward-Noah-Clowney-21-shoots.jpg"></figure><p>At the moment, the Nets’ frontcourt picture is very crowded, which makes a potential breakout for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-noah-clowney-reveals-silver-lining-mikal-bridges-trade">Noah Clowney a bit unlikely</a> to materialize from the get-go. Ben Simmons is still around, and it’s looking like he’ll be starting the season as the team’s nominal power forward. If not, the Nets can always call upon the likes of Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith to start, pushing Clowney down the totem pole.</p><p>It will be difficult for Clowney to earn 20+ plus minutes off the jump. The Nets will want Johnson and Finney-Smith to get minutes, if only to showcase themselves as trade assets. Even Trendon Watford, someone who played 63 games last season for Brooklyn, is still around to make the team’s frontcourt picture that much murkier.</p><p>But even then, those players mentioned above don’t exactly have the long-term future Clowney has with the Nets. Clowney is only 20 years old, and the Nets have high hopes for him after drafting him with the 21st overall selection of the 2023 NBA Draft. It’s the do-it-all nature of Clowney’s game at his impressive size (6’10”) that makes him such an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYFrLjcNlo" rel="noopener">interesting prospect</a> for a Nets team that’s in need of an infusion of some high-end young talent.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Clowney shot the ball confidently from beyond the arc to end last season; he ended his rookie season having shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc on 1.4 attempts per night — a good enough output from a 20-year-old that’s still learning the ropes of the NBA.</p><p>His defensive potential is even more massive; he is very mobile for how tall he is, keeping up with opposing ballhandlers while showcasing some very smooth footwork that allows him to change directions in a hurry.</p><p>The Nets have nothing to play for this year anyway, so fans better expect Clowney to become a rotation fixture sooner than later — with room for him to become a nightly double-double threat once Brooklyn trades away the veteran players standing in Clowney’s pathway to a larger role.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-breaks-ben-simmons-ankles-airballs-3-point-shot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma breaks Ben Simmons’ ankles but airballs 3-point shot');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kyle-Kuzma-breaks-Ben-Simmons-ankles-but-airballs-3-point-shot.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma breaks Ben Simmons’ ankles but airballs 3-point shot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T18:40:45-07:00">October 14th, 6:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T18:40:45-07:00">October 14th, 6:40pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma, the subject of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-reveals-only-untradable-nba-player-rumors">relentless trade rumors</a> this offseason, hit Ben Simmons with a simple feint, sending him to the floor. But the 29-year-old couldn’t finish the play. Kuzma followed that up with a well-short airball, <a href="https://x.com/CourtsideBuzzX/status/1845978358368092532" rel="noopener">drawing groans</a> from the crowd in Washington’s preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KYLE KUZMA DROPPED BEN SIMMONS WITH A HESITATION… THEN AIRBALLED 😳😂 <a href="https://t.co/itoYXpAemy">pic.twitter.com/itoYXpAemy</a></p><p>— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CourtsideBuzzX/status/1845978358368092532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The expectations are already pretty low in Washington. How low? As a point of conversation, Kuzma is comfortable talking about what the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-reveals-wont-worst-season">Wizards won’t be worst at anymore</a> after discussing the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-washington-stealing-lebron-james-lakers-target-free-agency">addition of Jonas Valanciunas</a>, per MSN’s Chase Hughes.</p><p>“We’re not going to be the worst defensive rebounding team in the league anymore,” Kuzma said.</p><p>For what it’s worth, this might be a good year to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bold-cooper-flagg-led-2025-draft-class-take-nba">tank for the first pick, considering the talent available in the 2025 NBA Draft</a>.</p><h2><b>Will Kuzma, Wizards tank in 2024-25 season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Wizards-Kyle-Kuzma-rising-up-for-the-shot.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Now in his fourth season with the Wizards, the stat lines have never been better for the former 2017 first-round pick. He posted career-bests with 22.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. He also added 6.6 rebounds to go along with a solid .463/.336/.775 slash line. With a little better shot selection from Jordan Poole, the Wizards might accidentally improve.</p><p>In ClutchPoints’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-power-rankings-2024-25-thunder-challenge-celtics">NBA Power Rankings</a>, Brett Siegel has the Wizards last at No. 30.</p><p>Malcolm Brogdon and Valanciunas add a lot of veteran experience, and it’ll be fun to watch how Alex Sarr, the Wizards’ No. 2 overall pick from the 2024 draft, takes to the league.</p><p>Poole has been impressed with unheralded role players Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert. It’s good to see him lift up his teammates.</p><p>“Just (George’s) poise, the way he’s playing. His confidence in taking open shots, he’s really long and athletic, so he’s good on the defensive end as well,” Poole said. “All of our young guys have been coming along really well. I’m excited.</p><p>“I love Corey’s game. I love playing with Corey, he plays hard. Elite shooter, high-level shooter, so he can space the floor, but he also makes the right plays,” Poole said. “I think his athleticism is also underrated as well. He’s strong, he can get to the basket read coverages.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jordan Poole talks up Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert, who’ve both been preseason standouts ahead of tonight’s game against the Nets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wizards</a> <a href="https://t.co/DMKnVFyeX6">pic.twitter.com/DMKnVFyeX6</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1845844977898635498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Wizards’ regular season begins at home against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma breaks Ben Simmons’ ankles but airballs 3-point shot

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/killian-hayes-nets-roster-chances-speed-bump');   ga('set', 'title', 'Killian Hayes’ Nets roster chances face injury speed bump');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hayes-nets.jpg"></figure><h1>Killian Hayes’ Nets roster chances face injury speed bump</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T16:24:43-07:00">October 14th, 4:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T17:24:47-07:00">October 14th, 5:24pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Killian Hayes is battling for his NBA life at Brooklyn Nets training camp. After four disappointing seasons with the Detroit Pistons, the former No. 7 pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-offer-second-chance-top-prospects">signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Nets</a> this summer. Non-guaranteed training camp invites have little margin for error as they battle for a roster spot.</p><p>In Hayes’ case, an injury could seal his fate before he ever got a real chance with Brooklyn.</p><p>The 23-year-old has been battling a hip ailment over the last week. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cam-thomas-balanced-role-headlines-nets-opener">missed the Nets’ first preseason game</a> and was <a href="https://x.com/erikslater_/status/1845945035965239537" rel="noopener">ruled out ahead of Monday’s home matchup</a> with the Washington Wizards.</p><p>Hayes’ struggles were well-chronicled throughout his Pistons tenure. While he possesses excellent size (6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan) defensively at point guard, he never developed his outside shot, converting 27.7 percent of his threes with Detroit. Former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver pointed to Hayes’ shooting struggles after the team waived him midway through last season.</p><p>However, Hayes <a href="https://x.com/erikslater_/status/1841198040021156030" rel="noopener">has said he’s viewing the Nets as a “redraft”</a> into the NBA. Despite his untimely injury, head coach Jordi Fernandez likes what he’s seen.</p><p>“Killian’s got a good feel for the game,” Fernandez said. “He’s like a true point guard, very young… He’s said it’s like his second draft and you can tell he is approaching this [the right way]. I don’t know how he was before, and I don’t care, but he seems like he’s mature, he works every day, he’s very committed, and he’s known exactly what he needs to do in this environment. So he’s fighting for an opportunity, and I really appreciate that because he’s just raising the bar for everybody else.”</p><p>While Hayes has made a good initial impression, he’ll <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ben-simmons-role-among-3-most-intriguing-nets-preseason-storylines">need to showcase his skills against another team</a> if he hopes to secure a roster spot.</p><h2>Who is Hayes’ competition for Nets’ final roster spot?</h2><p>Hayes isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, having played over three NBA seasons. Keon Johnson is the favorite to secure Brooklyn’s final roster spot after the team converted him from a two-way contract to a two-year, standard deal this offseason. However, only $250,000 of Johnson’s salary is guaranteed for 2024-25, opening the door for another player to pry the spot away.</p><p>Outside of Johnson, Hayes is competing with fellow Exhibit 10 signings Amari Bailey and Tyrese Martin. Of the three, he is the only player ineligible to sign a two-way contract.</p><p>“He’s worked really hard the whole time we’ve had him here. He’s been really good in camp,” Fernandez said when asked if Hayes’ injury makes it difficult to evaluate him. “Unfortunately, these types of minor injuries happen. But it’s nothing serious, so he’ll be back soon, and I’d like to see him on the court. We’ll see how it plays out, but so far I’m happy with him and everything he’s done.”</p><p>Hayes will have two more preseason games to get back on the floor before roster cuts.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Killian Hayes’ Nets roster chances face injury speed bump

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-ben-simmons-triggers-fans-sharing-9-photos');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons triggers Nets fans after sharing 9 photos');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nets-news-Ben-Simmons-triggers-fans-after-sharing-9-photos.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons triggers Nets fans after sharing 9 photos</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T01:32:31-07:00">October 14th, 1:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T01:32:31-07:00">October 14th, 1:32am</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets are finally rebuilding, having <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-stunning-mikal-bridges-nets-rockets-trade">traded Mikal Bridges to the Knicks</a> and dangling <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nets-unlikely-first-round-picks-dorian-finney-smith">trade assets Dorian Finney-Smith</a> and Cam Johnson for interested contenders. However, no team has made an offer yet. Likewise, the Nets are taking Ben Simmons into next season due to finding a trade partner for the former All-Star. During the Nets’ preseason, Ben Simmons ignited fan reactions after posting a series of nine photos on his Instagram account.</p><p>See the photos <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBFK8pusRA9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" rel="noopener">here</a>. In recent years, he has earned notoriety for his summer mixtapes, where his shooting led fans to believe he’ll improve on his game in the incoming season, only to regress or not even see the floor at all.</p><h2><b>The Nets star spends preseason on Instagram</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ben-Simmons-during-a-preseason-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The fan reactions on Instagram ranged from excited for Ben Simmons to play well to skepticism that he would even suit up again.</p><p>For instance, the first commenter simply said, “I’m not falling for this s**t again.”</p><p>Meanwhile, another commenter below prayed for Simmons’ health.</p><p>“May God cover you and keep you healthy this season. We know you a beast when you’re actually able to play. Rooting for you,” the person said.</p><p>However, another person echoed the sentiments of the first comment.</p><p>“Bro lives for media day and only media day,” he said.</p><p>Another person also poked fun at Simmons’ lack of availability in the last few seasons.</p><p>“You gone kill it in the 3 games you play this season!” he said.</p><p>Finally, another commenter referred to the training videos Simmons releases every offseason showing him doing shooting drills in an empty gym, but actually do not translate to any meaningful regular season minutes.</p><p>“We are definitely ‘not’ locked in Ben,” the user said. “Those training videos come every year and then oooooohm management.”</p><p>Next season is the Australian forward’s last of the five-year, $177-million deal Simmons signed with the Philadelphia 76ers before they traded him to the Nets for James Harden. Likewise, he will earn $40.3 million for the 2024-2025 season.</p><h2><b>What’s next?</b></h2><p>As an expiring contract, Simmons might command some <a href="https://netswire.usatoday.com/2024/07/06/nets-ben-simmons-deal-could-be-useful-heading-into-2025-nba-offseason/" rel="noopener">interest in the trade market</a>, especially as the new CBA incentivizes teams to free up as much cap space as they can to sign marquee players. However, few contenders might actually pull the trigger due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-new-admission-about-injury-last-season">Simmons’ nagging injuries</a> and his resulting availability issues.</p><p>As of the moment, Simmons might stay with Brooklyn, and he will need to stay healthy, first, and then restore his play to his former All-Star level if he wants another big-money contract.</p><p>Along the way, he might even fix the fans’ perceptions of him, with some of whom even claiming that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-sends-warning-to-fans-accusing-him-of-robbing-brooklyn">Ben Simmons was robbing the Nets</a>. Can he play more than 25 games next season and revitalize his career? Or will he spend most of next season on the bench yet again and fully become a vet-minimum guy?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons triggers Nets fans after sharing 9 photos

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ben-simmons-among-3-nets-with-most-to-prove-during-2024-25-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons among 3 Nets players with most to prove during 2024-25 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/most-prove-feature.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons among 3 Nets players with most to prove during 2024-25 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T20:42:22-07:00">October 11th, 8:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T20:42:22-07:00">October 11th, 8:42pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-gm-sean-marks-reveals-why-took-knicks-mikal-bridges-trade-offer">Brooklyn Nets will be more concerned with lottery odds</a> than wins this season. General manager Sean Marks abruptly pivoted to a rebuild this summer, resetting his team’s timeline with an eye on the 2025 draft. However, several of Brooklyn’s players have much to play for, whether it be contracts, trade appeal or pride.</p><p>Here are the three Nets with the most to prove during the 2024-25 campaign.</p><h2>3. Ziaire Williams</h2><p>Ziaire Williams is among several young, bounceback prospects <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-offer-second-chance-top-prospects">the Nets took a flier on this offseason</a>. Brooklyn acquired the 23-year-old and a second-round pick for Mamadi Diakite in a cost-cutting move by the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><p>Williams never caught on with the Grizzlies after they selected him 10th overall in the 2021 draft. At 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and explosive athleticism, he has the tools of a high-level wing defender. However, he struggled to develop his offensive game while battling injuries in Memphis, shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from three over three seasons.</p><p>After playing one college season at Standford, Williams was a raw prospect when he joined the Grizzlies, who were trying to contend with Ja Morant. He’ll now have a chance to lean into his development for a Nets team with zero expectations.</p><p>The forward is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If he can improve his outside shot and add tools to his offensive game, he’ll be an extension candidate for the Nets next summer.</p><h2>2. Cam Thomas</h2><p>Cam Thomas has been a polarizing player since his LSU days. Despite leading the nation’s freshmen in scoring during his lone college season, he fell to 27th in the 2021 draft due to concerns about his size, playmaking and defense. While he had moments of scoring brilliance, he spent most of his first two NBA seasons on Brooklyn’s bench.</p><p>Thomas finally cracked the Nets’ rotation last season and emerged as the team’s leading scorer (22.5 points per game). The 22-year-old took steps in other aspects of his game, averaging 4.0 assists over two months late in the year. He improved as an off-ball threat, shooting a career-high 43.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. And while no one would mistake him for a plus defender, his effort on that end of the floor has trended in the right direction.</p><p>Despite this, opinions of Thomas are scattershot amongst NBA executives, something <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NYdEJWl5Js" rel="noopener">I discussed with the New York Post’s Brian Lewis</a> on my Bleav in Nets podcast.</p><p>“With Cam Thomas, there is no baseline [in opinions],” Lewis said. “Some scouts think he walks on water. They love him. Others wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. They want no part of him. No matter what he’s getting paid, they don’t want any part of him. I’ve never seen a player like this, frankly… There is no sort of agreement between scouts or front office personnel about what is value is on the market or how good of a player he can be.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">How do NBA front offices view Cam Thomas ahead of his potential restricted free agency next summer?</p><p>I discussed with <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPost_Lewis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYPost_Lewis</a> on Bleav in Nets. <a href="https://t.co/xs7fxFv6ec">pic.twitter.com/xs7fxFv6ec</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1844847119598756028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Thomas will step into a lead offensive role this season. While he’ll shoulder an immense burden as Brooklyn’s only high-level shot creator, he’ll have to continue developing the supporting aspects of his game if he hopes to shed the “microwave scorer” label. Doing so could go a long way toward increasing his market value next offseason when he’s expected to hit restricted free agency.</p><h2>1. Ben Simmons</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sim-imagn.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ben Simmons’ appearance on this list doesn’t need much explanation. The three-time All-Star is entering the final season of a five-year, $177 million contract. Calling his NBA future beyond this season “uncertain” would be putting it lightly.</p><p>Simmons has not made a significant NBA contribution since his meltdown during the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021. He’s been unable to stay on the floor while battling back injuries and mental health issues, appearing in 57 of 254 total games over the last three seasons.</p><p>When on the floor, his offensive passivity has continued to trend in the wrong direction. He’s been unwilling to attack the basket, attempting 72 free throws over his 57 appearances (1.3 per game) and converting only 31 (43.1 percent). The former No. 1 pick’s field goal attempts per 36 minutes have decreased every season of his NBA career, per Basketball Reference.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-11-at-9.14.59%E2%80%AFAM.png"></figure><p>Until the 28-year-old can regain the aggressive, downhill mindset that made him a force during his All-Star seasons, he cannot play a feature role for a playoff team.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-new-admission-about-injury-last-season">Simmons has attributed his lack of aggressiveness</a> to nagging back injuries. He’s undergone two surgeries on bulging discs in the last two years, the second of which came in May. However, he said he is 100 percent at this year’s training camp. Simmons <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-why-ben-simmons-fit-new-direction-chris-brickley-all-star-take">drew rave reviews this offseason</a> from renowned NBA trainer Chris Brickley, who said the Aussie is “back to playing at an All-Star level.”</p><p>But three seasons removed from his All-Star days, the offseason hype trains have no meaning. If Simmons hopes to revitalize his career, he must prove his value on the court.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons among 3 Nets players with most to prove during 2024-25 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-ben-simmons-sends-warning-to-fans-accusing-him-of-robbing-brooklyn');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons sends warning to fans accusing him of ‘robbing’ Nets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0Ben-Simmons-sends-warning-to-fans-accusing-him-of-robbing-Brooklyn0.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons sends warning to fans accusing him of ‘robbing’ Nets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-10T07:07:12-07:00">October 10th, 7:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-10T07:07:12-07:00">October 10th, 7:07am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ben-simmons-role-among-3-most-intriguing-nets-preseason-storylines">Ben Simmons is at a crossroads</a>; the max contract that he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Thus, it’s imperative for Simmons, if he were to earn more than a prove-it contract next offseason, to bounce back in what has been a tumultuous stint thus far with the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>The fan perception towards Simmons is in the gutter; he has played in just 57 games since the 2021-22 season, which has fueled some harsh criticism towards the Nets forward. Some fans have even gone as far as to say that Simmons has been robbing the Nets franchise after spending the majority of his stint with the team on the mend.</p><p>But for Simmons, he knows that he was <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/10/sports/what-oft-injured-ben-simmons-is-still-hoping-to-achieve-with-nets/?utm_content=buffer724fd&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" rel="noopener">worth a max contract</a> at the time of signing his five-year, $170 million deal. He simply could not stay healthy for the past three seasons, with the Nets paying dearly for his absence in more ways than one.</p><p>“People make comments saying I’m robbing. No. When I got that contract, I was playing at a super high level. Unfortunately, I had injuries. But for somebody to say that, it’s disrespectful. [But] people can say what they want to say. They’ve got to live with it. At the end of the day it all catches up with you,” Simmons said in an interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post.</p><p>Simmons is perhaps hoping for some cosmic reparations for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-shaquille-oneal-ben-simmons-hes-afraid-take">all the flak he has caught</a> over the past few seasons for being unable to shake off the back injury that robbed him of the prime years of his career. The best revenge for Simmons will be to make his doubters eat their words.</p><p>Only 28 years old, Simmons, in an ideal world, will still have a long career ahead of him. But none of that is guaranteed. However, the good thing is that he can look to return to his previous form in a low-stakes environment, which he’ll be getting on the Nets amid their rebuild.</p><h2><b>What does the future hold for Ben Simmons, Nets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Shaquille-ONeal-calls-out-Ben-Simmons.jpg"></figure><p>The Nets had high hopes when they brought Ben Simmons in as the centerpiece of the trade that sent James Harden to the 76ers back in 2022. However, Simmons has been a shell of his former self ever since the 2021 NBA playoffs and his NBA future isn’t looking too promising with his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-new-admission-about-injury-last-season">body seemingly giving up on him</a>.</p><p>But Simmons is not fixating on what the future holds for him or the Nets. What he’s focusing on is what he can control now, and that is to assume a leadership role on a young squad.</p><p>“We have a younger team that I want to help these guys get better. I want to lead by example. I want to compete. Jordi [Fernandez, coach] is coming in first year. It’s a big year for him. I want to be a leader on this team,” Simmons said.</p><p>By focusing on self-improvement, there is a belief from the Nets forward that the future will take care of itself.</p><p>“So f**k what happens next year, and what contract I get, if I get a contract. I want to do my job while I’m here and be professional and help these guys in any way I can. So who knows? I want to play as long as my body will allow me. So if it’s one year, five years, six years, I don’t know what it is. But I just want to keep going until I can’t anymore,” Simmons added.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons sends warning to fans accusing him of ‘robbing’ Nets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cam-thomas-balanced-role-headlines-nets-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cam Thomas’ balanced role headlines takeaways from Nets preseason opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/netsp.jpg"></figure><h1>Cam Thomas’ balanced role headlines takeaways from Nets preseason opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T06:53:10-07:00">October 9th, 6:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T07:14:31-07:00">October 9th, 7:14am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets kicked off their rebuilding era Tuesday with a 115-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their preseason opener. Jordi Fernandez made his head-coaching debut in front of owner Joe Tsai at Frontwave Arena in San Diego.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-nic-claxton-miss-preseason-opener-clippers">Nets were without starting center Nic Claxton</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dayron-sharpe-trendon-watford-miss-start-season-hamstring-injuries">reserves Day’Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford</a>, while the Clippers were missing Kawhi Leonard. However, several offseason acquisitions took the floor in black and white for the first time.</p><p>Here are three key takeaways from Brooklyn’s first action.</p><h2>Cam Thomas plays balanced role in first game as No. 1 option</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/imagn_ef79ed.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cam-thomas-eye-opening-scoring-prediction-from-nba-insider-bobby-marks">Thomas enters the season carrying a heavy offensive burden</a> for a Nets team severely lacking offensive firepower. However, Fernandez emphasized his intention to help the fourth-year guard raise his efficiency. A critical aspect of that will be helping him get clean looks within the flow of the offense, as opposed to off the dribble in isolation.</p><p>Thomas played a balanced role against Los Angeles, working off the ball alongside point guards Dennis Schroder and Ben Simmons with the first unit while acting as a point guard alongside the reserves. He led the starters with 12 points and two assists on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in 17 minutes.</p><p>Both of Thomas’ threes came off the catch as he continued to flash his quick trigger. His floor spacing was a noticeable area of growth last season, as he shot a career-high 43.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cam Thomas’ first bucket is a catch-and-shoot three off a flare screen from Ben Simmons. <a href="https://t.co/5m79gCWGRn">pic.twitter.com/5m79gCWGRn</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1843849213228253212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cam Thomas continues to have a quick trigger on catch-and-shoot threes. <a href="https://t.co/jVFFaUjR9o">pic.twitter.com/jVFFaUjR9o</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1843856690305003774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Thomas will be the face of Brooklyn’s offense this season. While the team’s lack of shot creation will undoubtedly force him into difficult situations, finding ways to take pressure off the 22-year-old will be among Fernandez’s top priorities.</p><h2>Ziaire Williams impresses in Nets debut</h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-nets-grizzlies-ziaire-williams-trade">Ziaire Williams’ acquisition was one of the most interesting moves</a> of Brooklyn’s offseasons. General Manager Sean Marks acquired the 23-year-old forward and a second-round pick for Mamadi Diakite in a cost-cutting move by the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams boasts an impressive physical profile at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan but was never able to polish his offensive skillset in Memphis.</p><p>While that area of his game still needs plenty of work, he made a noticeable impact in his Brooklyn debut. Williams provided a spark off the bench, posting 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 5-of-9 shooting. He was a team-high plus-10 in 23 minutes as Brooklyn climbed out of an 18-point hole in the second quarter after he checked in.</p><p>The former No. 10 pick was among the Nets’ most active defenders as they forced seven turnovers in the frame.</p><p>Fernandez and Brooklyn’s player development staff will face an uphill battle to improve Williams’ outside shooting. The Stanford product shot just 30.1 percent from deep over three seasons with the Grizzlies. However, he has the physical tools and motor to impact several aspects of the game.</p><p>That’s more to work with than one would expect for a player the Nets acquired for free.</p><h2>Nets push the pace in first game under Fernandez</h2><p>Every team that struggled offensively the prior season has the same goal in training camp: they want to play faster. It makes sense in theory. Scoring is far more difficult in the halfcourt against a set defense than in transition. However, creating turnovers, rebounding and doing the other things necessary to play at an up-tempo pace for 82 games is easier said than done.</p><p>It will be more important than ever for a Brooklyn team featuring its least offensive talent in years.</p><p>The Nets <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1843850143537275277" rel="noopener">got out on the break</a> against Los Angeles, forcing 19 turnovers and scoring 27 fastbreak points. They shot 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) in transition compared to 26-of-73 (35.6 percent) in the halfcourt.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/24_camthomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@24_camthomas</a> turning defense into offense <a href="https://t.co/9BTzzvU0hv">pic.twitter.com/9BTzzvU0hv</a></p><p>— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1843850143537275277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While the Nets lack offensive firepower, they have the length and athleticism to create problems on the defensive end. Between Simmons, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Cam Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith, there’s no shortage of defenders who can challenge ball-handlers at the point of attack or press up into passing lanes.</p><p>The team will need to generate as much of its offense as possible starting on that end of the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cam Thomas’ balanced role headlines takeaways from Nets preseason opener

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-jordi-fernandez-makes-honest-admission-about-why-he-avoids-social-media');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Jordi Fernández makes honest admission about why he avoids social media');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nets-news-Jordi-Fernandez-makes-honest-admission-about-why-he-avoids-social-media.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Jordi Fernández makes honest admission about why he avoids social media</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T20:17:26-07:00">October 8th, 8:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T20:17:26-07:00">October 8th, 8:17pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets are embracing a rebuild after coming up short in their contending years with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the fray. They brought in new head coach Jordi Fernandez to try and steer the ship back to the right direction, but make no mistake about it, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ben-simmons-role-among-3-most-intriguing-nets-preseason-storylines">getting the Nets back to playoff contention</a> won’t be such an easy task.</p><p>As if the jobs of head coaches aren’t already difficult enough as it is, fans are especially critical of them whenever teams fall short of expectations. Now, that won’t be a problem for Fernandez in his first season with the Nets as they don’t exactly warrant high expectations, but the first-time head coach has already gotten ahead of things, <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1843824324895224300" rel="noopener">removing himself from the toxicity</a> of social media.</p><p>“I don’t have social media. I’m no good with social media. At the end of the day, social media probably brings the worst out of people because if you want to be heard, you have to say something negative, and always one negative trumps the positives,” Fernandez told reporters prior to the Nets’ preseason clash against the Los Angeles Clippers, via Law Murray of The Athletic.</p><p>“I think we’re in a society, where, we should like move on from this or use it the right way. Otherwise, we’re gonna go back to where people just don’t want to go to social media.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brooklyn Nets head coach on social media bullshit:</p><p>"I don't have social media… social media is, probably, brings the worst out of people. Because if you want to be heard, you have to say something negative, and always one negative trumps the positives." <a href="https://t.co/uH2NOpynV4">pic.twitter.com/uH2NOpynV4</a></p><p>— Law Murray 🏟️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1843824324895224300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Indeed, the sports side of social media has tended to be toxic over the past few years. While having loud reactions from fans is a sign that a professional league is in good health, viewership-wise, criticisms tend to become hurtful and even filled with hatred. The Nets, in particular, would know of this, especially when criticism magnets such as Durant, Irving, James Harden, and Ben Simmons, just to name a few, played for the team in recent seasons.</p><p>Social media may be a way to connect with others throughout the globe, effectively making the world smaller. But if social media is making one feel more disconnected from others, like the Nets head coach feels, then it’s best to stay away from it entirely.</p><h2><b>Nets’ receive reprieve from harsh social media expectations</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sean-Marks-and-Jordi-Fernandez-talking.jpg"></figure><p>The good news for the Nets is that, as a rebuilding team, they are at least exempt from the harsh criticisms that accompany being a contending team. Many expect the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-cam-thomas-brooklyn-2024-25-win-projection">Nets to be among the worst teams</a> in the association for the 2024-25 season, and understandably so.</p><p>Regardless, one of the most prominent Nets players, Ben Simmons, has been a lightning rod for criticism and memes over the past few years. Simmons has always been a polarizing player, even when he was playing at his best. His inability to shoot from beyond 15-feet made fan perception of him very divisive, as he was otherwise an impactful player who was legitimately among the best defenders in the league. But ever since the 2021 NBA playoffs, Simmons has not been the same.</p><p>He has been criticized a ton for the way he left the Philadelphia 76ers, and his injury-proneness over the past three seasons have not done him any favors in the fan perception department. Jordi Fernandez’s remarks regarding the negatives of social media can be seen in the way fans talk about Simmons, so the Nets head coach’s words are ever relevant to the team context — especially with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-pointed-question-people-who-forgot-about-him">Simmons set to return to action.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Jordi Fernández makes honest admission about why he avoids social media

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ben-simmons-role-among-3-most-intriguing-nets-preseason-storylines');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons’ role among 3 most intriguing Nets preseason storylines to watch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ben-Simmons-role-among-3-most-intriguing-Nets-preseason-storylines-to-watch.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons’ role among 3 most intriguing Nets preseason storylines to watch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T09:00:09-07:00">October 8th, 9:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T09:20:32-07:00">October 8th, 9:20am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-nic-claxton-miss-preseason-opener-clippers">Brooklyn Nets open preseason action Tuesday in San Diego</a> against the Los Angeles Clippers. After trading Mikal Bridges and pivoting to a rebuild, the team enters the 2024-25 campaign on a new timeline. While several rotation pieces are returning, the Nets welcomed first-time head coach Jordi Fernandez and numerous offseason acquisitions.</p><p>Here are three Nets storylines to monitor during this preseason.</p><h2><b>How are frontcourt minutes divided between Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney?</b></h2><p>Simmons enters the 2024-25 campaign after two straight seasons cut short by back injuries. Despite his injury struggles and Brooklyn’s new direction, Fernandez has made it clear that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-dennis-schroder-battling-starting-point-guard">Nets intend to feature the three-time All-Star</a> as a focal point of the rotation. However, with Simmons, Claxton, Clowney and Day’Ron Sharpe returning, Brooklyn has a crowded frontcourt featuring three non-shooters.</p><p>Fernandez was spared from difficult rotation decisions after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-dayron-sharpe-trendon-watford-miss-start-season-hamstring-injuries">Nets announced Sharpe would miss at least six weeks</a> with a hamstring strain. Claxton will also miss Tuesday’s preseason opener due to hamstring soreness. However, once his starting center returns, the head coach’s lineups could offer a glimpse into his philosophy.</p><p>Simmons and Claxton posted poor numbers together last season, albeit in a small sample size (99.04 offensive rating and a -22.76 net rating in 100 minutes). Despite this, Fernandez said he wouldn’t shy away from experimenting with the pairing. While Simmons can still impact the game as a transition ball-handler and facilitator alongside Claxton, the duo’s lack of shooting puts a glaring strain on Brooklyn’s halfcourt offense.</p><p>Meanwhile, Clowney offers a far better fit alongside Claxton as Brooklyn’s power forward of the future. The duo showed great promise defensively last season, combining for 12 blocks in a win over the Toronto Raptors.</p><p>Clowney’s floor-spacing potential should allow him to play alongside a traditional center. He converted 36.4 percent of his threes as a rookie. His stroke looked even better at this year’s Summer League, as he shot 39.3 percent on 5.6 attempts per game.</p><p>With Claxton sidelined against the Clippers, Simmons will start in a dual-point guard lineup alongside Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. The five-out lineup offers an optimal fit around the former No. 1 pick, allowing him to act as a ball-handler in transition but a screener and roller in the halfcourt.</p><p>With Sharpe sidelined, Simmons could captain Brooklyn’s second unit in the point-center role. How much Fernandez plays Simmons in the five-out look compared to pairing him with Claxton will be a story to monitor.</p><h2><b>How often is Cam Thomas handling the ball in Jordi Fernandez’s offense?</b></h2><p>After cracking Brooklyn’s rotation for the first time last season, Thomas enters 2024-25 as the team’s top scorer. While the 22-year-old will undoubtedly lead the Nets in shot attempts, it’s worth monitoring where those shots come from within the offense.</p><p>Thomas played extended stretches at point guard late last season under interim head coach Kevin Ollie. He <a href="https://x.com/erikslater_/status/1773191714494160926" rel="noopener">improved as a playmaker in the role</a>, averaging 4.0 assists over a two-month stretch.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Some Cam Thomas dimes for you. <a href="https://t.co/yj8sppDrCF">pic.twitter.com/yj8sppDrCF</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1773191714494160926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Thomas also improved as a pick-and-roll ball-handler with added reps. While Brooklyn scored 0.91 points per possession on his pick-and-rolls last season (33rd among 50 players who averaged five or more per game), he and Nic Claxton flashed growing chemistry late in the year.</p><p>But Thomas also impressed while playing off the ball early last season. He averaged 28.7 points on 48 percent shooting over his first eight games, making quick decisions off the catch in the flow of Brooklyn’s offense. Fernandez alluded to this during training camp, noting that Thomas ranks toward the top of the league in scoring efficiency when taking 1-2 dribbles.</p><p>The LSU product also shot a career-high 43.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season, a positive sign for long-term positional versatility. With Simmons and Schroder expected to garner significant minutes at point guard, how often will Thomas initiate possessions for Brooklyn’s halfcourt offense?</p><p>“I don’t really know; it just depends on how the game is going,” Thomas said. “Obviously, I am who I am. I play [on and off the ball]. I can do both. So whenever Jordi needs me to do both, I’m capable. I think that’s the beauty of my game. I can do both. I’m not really one-dimensional.”</p><p>“So whenever he needs me to play off the ball or, at some points in the game, get in a role of playing on the ball and getting guys involved, I can do that as well. So I think it’s just finding that balance throughout the game and picking my spots.”</p><h2><b>Who stakes their claim to the final Nets roster spot?</b></h2><p>Keon Johnson is the favorite to secure Brooklyn’s final roster spot. The shooting guard flashed his capabilities in the G League while playing on a two-way contract last season, averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals on 47/37/79 shooting splits. Johnson signed a two-year, standard contract after an impressive showing at this year’s Summer League.</p><p>However, only $250,000 of his 2024-25 salary is guaranteed, opening the door for another offseason signing to claim the Nets’ final spot.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-offer-second-chance-top-prospects">Killian Hayes is a candidate</a> after signing an Exhibit 10 contract. The former No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft joins Brooklyn after four seasons with the Detroit Pistons, where he averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 assists on 38/28/78 shooting splits over 210 appearances (145 starts). At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Hayes offers solid size and defense at point guard but has yet to develop his outside shot.</p><p>The 23-year-old isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, having played over three NBA seasons.</p><p>Amari Bailey joined the Nets at point guard on an Exhibit 10 deal. The former top-five recruit in the Class of 2022 could not carve out a role with the Charlotte Hornets last season after they selected him 41st in the 2023 draft. Bailey spent most of his time in the G-League with the Greensboro Storm, averaging 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals on 45/36/71 shooting splits over 36 appearances.</p><p>After playing for Brooklyn at Summer League, Tyrese Martin joined Bailey and Hayes on a training camp tryout. The 6-foot-6 wing spent last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate, averaging 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 45/32/83 shooting splits over 39 games.</p><p>After signing Jaylen Martin and Yongxi “Jackie” Cui, the Nets have one two-way spot open. Bailey and Martin are eligible to sign a two-way contract if they cannot secure a standard spot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons’ role among 3 most intriguing Nets preseason storylines to watch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nets-news-dayron-sharpe-trendon-watford-miss-start-season-hamstring-injuries');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe, Trendon Watford to miss start of season with hamstring injuries');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nets-news-Day-Ron-Sharpe-Trendon-Watford-to-miss-start-of-season-with-hamstring-injuries.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Day’Ron Sharpe, Trendon Watford to miss start of season with hamstring injuries</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-07T11:36:14-07:00">October 7th, 11:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-07T11:36:14-07:00">October 7th, 11:36am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets will be without two potential rotation pieces to start the season. Day’Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford have each <a href="https://x.com/erikslater_/status/1843343656000073987" rel="noopener">been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain</a> after sustaining injuries during practice last week, the team announced. Sharpe will be reevaluated in six weeks, while Watford will have his status updated in two.</p><p>The injury update comes ahead of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-nic-claxton-miss-preseason-opener-clippers">Nets’ preseason opener</a> against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.</p><p>Sharpe’s absence presents a blow to Brooklyn’s frontcourt depth. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dayron-sharpe-rising-nets-trade-candidate-amid-rumored-grizzlies-interest">The 22-year-old turned in the most productive season of his career</a> last year, averaging 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game. He was dominant on the boards, posting the NBA’s second-highest rebounding percentage, behind only Andre Drummond.</p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-free-agency-2024-whos-staying-whos-going">Watford impressed in limited playing time</a> after signing for the minimum during the 2023 offseason. Often playing a point-forward role, the 23-year-old averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 52.7 percent shooting in 13.6 minutes per game. Watford is projected to step into an expanded role for the rebuilding Nets this season after signing a $2.7 million qualifying offer this summer.</p><h2><b>How Sharpe and Watford injuries impact Nets rotation</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Nets-DayRon-Sharpe-grabbing-a-rebound.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Sharpe’s injury will spare Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez from difficult rotation decisions early this season. Brooklyn had a crowded frontcourt between Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons, Noah Clowney and Sharpe. While Fernandez has said he will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-dennis-schroder-battling-starting-point-guard">experiment with Simmons playing alongside Claxton</a>, the three-time All-Star has played his best with Brooklyn when operating as a point-center in five-out lineups.</p><p>With Claxton locked in as the starting center, it would be difficult to feature both Simmons and Sharpe in extensive roles due to their lack of shooting. Sharpe’s injury mitigates those concerns, at least for now.</p><p>It also opens the door for Clowney to play stretches at the five. While the 2023 first-round pick projects as a power forward long-term, he played predominately center during his time in the G-League last season. He was successful at the position for Long Island, averaging 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 52 percent shooting over 34 appearances.</p><p>Watford has an outside shot to return for the start of the regular season. If not, his absence eliminates a ball-handling option. Dennis Schroder and Simmons will open the year as Brooklyn’s top point guard options, with Cam Thomas playing a heavy on-ball role alongside them. Shake Milton adds veteran depth behind the trio, while Killian Hayes is expected to compete for Brooklyn’s final roster spot.</p><p>Fans will get their first look at the Nets’ new-look rotation when Brooklyn opens the season against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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BrooklynNets NEWS

Nets News: Get the latest Brooklyn Nets news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Nets News

Nets rookie earns hilarious bench reaction, nickname after home debut

Nets’ Cam Thomas responding to Jordi Fernandez challenge during preseason action

Nets player who will shock NBA with breakout 2024-25 season

Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma breaks Ben Simmons’ ankles but airballs 3-point shot

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Ben Simmons among 3 Nets players with most to prove during 2024-25 season

• Ben Simmons sends warning to fans accusing him of ‘robbing’ Nets

• Cam Thomas’ balanced role headlines takeaways from Nets preseason opener

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