After Monday’s atrocious loss, the Nets are playing clean up.
In what was their first game without veteran leader and point guard Dennis Schroder, who was traded Sunday to the Warriors in what looks like a front-office tanking decision, the Nets crumbled against the Cavaliers and ex-Nets coach Kenny Atkinson in a 130-101 loss at Barclays Center.
In exchange for Schroder, they received De’Anthony Melton, who is sidelined the rest of the season following Dec. 4 surgery to repair a partially torn ACL; rookie Reece Beekman; three second-round picks; and a whole new style of basketball.
“We’re trying to flush that game, learn from it, but, you know, we’re trying to win tomorrow,” Dorian Finney-Smith said following practice Wednesday. “Coaches have been telling us what we need to work on, especially defensively. We got to start doing a better job defensively, keeping guys out of the middle of the paint and try to get a win tomorrow.”
After committing 22 turnovers (which Cleveland turned into 34 points), gifting the Cavaliers 29 free-throw attempts, and allowing 24 second-chance points, the immediate holes appeared to be the possession game and pace.
Those were the two points of focus for head coach Jordi Fernandez in helping his team adjust.
“So, you add those things up and how can our execution be better,” Fernandez said Wednesday. “Spacing, so we don’t turn it over. Our techniques on defense, so we’re not sending them to the line all the time. Finding bodies, especially now if we are bigger, there’s no excuse for not finishing possession. So, all of those things that would’ve helped us, but now we cannot play that game no more.
“So, we’re looking to the next one. The guys have owned it. They have a great attitude about it. But, then we want to see how we perform for 48 minutes next game.”
With Ben Simmons as the leading point guard, the Nets played what Fernandez thought was their fastest game Monday.
Simmons is known to be effective in transition and for leading the charge to score fast-break points.
It’s a big change from Schroder, who would usually orchestrate the play toward the end of the shot clock.
The Nets put up 16 fast-break points against the Cavaliers’ 21 on Monday, however there was a lack of ball care that led to the blowout.
“I think the pace was a positive. I know that game didn’t feel positive at all, but especially the start of the game,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, a lot of times space goes up if you turn it over a lot, especially if those turnovers come up early in the clock and they turn into a quick shot the other way. We do want to increase the pace, but not because we turn it over.”
The Nets were once undersized this season with injuries to Day’Ron Sharpe, Trendon Watford, Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney.
Still, the second-chance points included in the Cavaliers’ 38 points in the paint were a glaring issue on the stat sheet, as well as being outrebounded 42-35.
Though short-staffed in the backcourt, the adjustments bleed into the paint players as well.
“It just starts defensively. We got to guard guys,” Finney-Smith said. “We got to take care of the ball. We turned the ball over, but it wasn’t just the turnovers. It was the live-ball turnovers that led to dunks and wide-open 3s. We got to take care of the ball, and with our size, we got to rebound. Just win the possession game and get stops that can put us in transition where we can be pretty good.”
The Nets have a chance to bounce back in new form this week against two of the league’s worst teams — on the road against the Raptors (7-20) on Thursday then at home against the struggling Jazz (5-20) on Saturday.
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