The Brooklyn Nets Have Been TERRIBLE…
Yo what’s going on y’all it’s con back here again today with another video and today I want to talk for a little bit about the Brooklyn Nets we’re rapidly approaching trade deadline season one that I don’t expect to be super active I mean two of the bigger names on the
Market and OG and sakam have already been dealt and we’ve still got a couple weeks until the deadline itself but I think one team that could be more active than people realize are the Brooklyn Nets I mean last season we saw them make two of the biggest trade deadline trades
Ever by dealing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pretty much out of nowhere Kyrie made a trade request and like a day later he was dealt and I believe it was right at midnight on the day of the trade deadline Kevin Durant sent over to the Phoenix Suns and they got a haul for
Those two guys Spencer did with he Dorian FY Smith two second round picks and a 2029 first round pick for Kyrie and for KD they pick up male Bridges cam Johnson Four first round picks a first round pick Swap and two second round picks as well as Jay Crowder being
Rerouted over to the Milwaukee Bucks it was a couple of Blockbuster moves they were necessary ones it was clear that that duo wasn’t going to work out neither one of them were happy there and they got a massive return for both guys plus they had a pretty good end to the
Season male Bridges his first time as a number one option thrived he was a monster putting up 26 points per game leading a team that felt like they could potentially fall out of the playoffs after the deals to the six seed and sure they did get swept in the playoffs but
It felt like there was some promising stuff to build off of from last year so coming into this season it didn’t feel like the Nets were going to be a solidified playoff team or anything like that at least not in my opinion I projected them right around an 8 to a
10ish seed maybe on the verge of missing the playin really it depended on a few different things some main swing factors that would decide whether they were a playing team or a lottery Squad the first one was could Mel Bridges carry over his production he was one of the
Top MIP candidates coming into this year for good reason I mean he became a 26 Point per game score and pretty good efficiency for the Nets when he came over so it felt like all he had to do was put up kind of similar numbers and
The award would most likely be his and probably earn him an allar spot another big swing Factor was what was Ben Simmons going to look like last season played a little a little bit didn’t play a lot due to injury this season felt like he could be in for a bounceback I
Bought in heavily on the Ben Simmons bounceback train I was rooting for him and all he really had to do was get at least partially back to the guy we saw at times in Philly he didn’t have to become this consistent Deo level Defender incredible playmaker like the
Guy that we saw make Aller games in Philly he didn’t have to be that kind of guy but I just want to see him take some steps back towards that type of player so hey maybe in a season or two he can find his way back to that form so what
Ben Simmons was going to look like was also a big swing factor and also how are they going to produce offensively cuz defensively it seemed like they were going to be pretty stout Ben Simmons if he could bounce back you’ve got Mel Bridges who’s always been a pretty good
Defender Dorian finy Smith cam Johnson Nick claxon as an anchor as a fantastic Defender Royce O’Neal like they’ve got some pretty solid Defenders across the roster they picked up Dennis Smith Jr as well who was an amazing point of attack Defender for Charlotte last season it
Felt like they built this team to be pretty stout defensively but they didn’t have a lot of fantastic offensive options cam Thomas seemed like a big swing factor for them as well just in terms of a singular player how could he produce and maybe a bigger role because
At times last season especially after the deadline when they gave cam Thomas opportunities he was amazing so if he comes into this season as a starter you give him the rock a lot of the time how can he produce maybe he and Mel Bridges formed this really solid scoring tandem
You’ve got some role players and you find a way to at least a decent offense hold it down defensively and boom maybe you’re a playoff team so those are some of the big swing factors and not many if any of them have really gone the Nets
Way so far this season their year up to this point reached a rock bottom last night when they lost to The Reeling Portland Trailblazers on an Anthony Simons gamewinner following to a record of 16- 24 this is especially bad when you consider the fact that they were 13-
10 at one point so 3 and 14 in their last 17 games and two of the wins in that stretch came against the Detroit Pistons in back-to-back gam so outside of that they’ve only won one other time in the last 17 and that unfortunately was against my Oklahoma City Thunder in
A game where they got ridiculously hot from three went up huge early and they almost blew like a 30-point lead like the thunder made it really close at the end way closer than it should have been the Nets do hold on but even that win was a little bit shaky and that’s the
Only one they’ve gotten outside of playing the Pistons in their past 17 over that stretch they lost to the Wizards Portland twice and that’s a team that’s been getting smoked they got blown up by the Bucks the Nuggets a couple of times the Knicks the Jazz the
Warriors the Pelicans most of the time if they play a good team it’s not going to go well for them and if they play a bad team it’s not a guaranteed win by any means losing to the Wizards is not a great look they’ve got the third worst
Record in the NBA over these past 17 games only ahead of the Hornets and the Pistons and they’re behind the Wizards and the Spurs who are both really bad teams so far they’ve been right in the middle of the worst teams in the NBA over this 17 game stretch and it’s only
Going to get worse because they play the Lakers Clippers Knicks Timberwolves Rockets Jazz Suns Sixers Warriors Mavs Cavs Spurs and the Celtics twice heading into the All-Star break the only game that feels very winnable for them in that stretch is against San Antonio and they’ll probably find a way to win one
Or two of the other ones because it’s the NBA you can be anybody on any given night but not a lot of those wins feel very attainable there’s a good chance to go into the All-Star break heavily below 500 for a team that at the very least
Wanted to try and make a playe push this season so let’s talk about what’s gone wrong for them the big problem is that their defense which was supposed to be their calling card has been nowhere near as good as it was supposed to be they’re the 21st defense in the league and the
Seventh worst defense over this 17 game skid a big part of that is that Mel Bridges is having to take on this number one option offensive load so his defense has fallen off a cliff he’s nowhere near the top three depy finisher he was at one point over there in Phoenix Nick
Claxon is doing his best to make up for mistakes but he can’t do everything dwy and cam Thomas really aren’t giving you any resistance whatsoever on the defensive end Dennis Smith Jr’s great defensively but his offense is abysmal so you can’t play him super consistently as one of your better guard Defenders
And also Ben Simmons who I thought was going to be a big factor in this defense as a former near Depo guy has hardly played this season he’s played just six games and has been out for a while due to a nerve issue we don’t know when he’s
Going to return I don’t believe he’s got a timetable at this point there’s a good chance he doesn’t play the rest of the season and he did decent in his first six games six and a half points per game nothing too crazy scoring wise but grabbing you 10.8 boards per game and
6.7 assists giving you some solid playmaking his defense looked really solid he’s being physical finishing plays or stopping offensive possessions for the other team grabbing you boards it wasn’t insane you know wasn’t the Ben Simmons back in Philly but he was ramping up and it felt like he was in
For a pretty solid season but he just can’t seem to stay in the court and that’s been the story for him over the past few years and it’s led to them crumbling on both sides because obviously he was supposed to be a big help defensively giving you some size as
Again a former all defensive player but also offensively his playmaking is Big his ability to get downhill and dish out to Shooters was big for them in the first few games that he played but since the beginning of the season with a loss of Ben Simmons and also just some major
Three-point regression the off offense has completely fallen off a cliff to the point where it’s also below average they’ve got a bunch of decent options but just nobody that’s really El lead I love Mel Bridges I think he’s an amazing player he’s not a number one option on a
Team really competing for anything I think he could be a pretty solid two option or a fantastic three option that’s the optimal role for him if you ask me as that really solell three guy but that’s about it I mean he can be an Allstar caliber player I think he’s got
That potential in him but I just don’t think it’s going to come in Brooklyn in this number one option role he’s putting up 21 .4 points per game 5.3 boards and 3.7 assists numbers that are down from the second half of last season when he got to Brooklyn and he’s shooting the
Lowest true shooting percentage of his career outside of his rookie season he’s just not built for this number one option game and this role doesn’t optimize him at all Mel Bridges is at his best when he’s taking those spot up threes you know cring off the dribble
He’s shown a lot of ability to shot crate for himself with Brooklyn but he shouldn’t be doing that all the time and you really don’t want him to be one of your top two shot takers because a lot of the appeal in him is his highle defense but when he’s trying to will
This team offensively to wins an offense that struggles greatly he’s not going to be able to put in the usual effort on the defensive end to the point where he just hasn’t been that great this season defensively another big blow to their offense is that cam Thomas started off
Sizzling putting up right around 27 points per game but he’s fallen drastically just 20.2 points per game at this point 2.5 boards and 2.2 assists shooting 42.6% from the field and 34.7% from three it’s not terrible like those are perfectly fine numbers for a young scoring cam Thomas trying to find his
Footing and he’s been in a bit of an inconsistent role I haven’t loved jacqu Von’s coaching this season in fact haven’t been a fan whatsoever and part of that is just continuously shifting cam Thomas’ role I get he’s trying to do stuff to find wins but I don’t know I
Feel like he’s mismanaged the way that cam Thomas has been used and I think cam could be a great score one day but for right now he’s just not consistent enough the shot selection is terrible most nights when it’s falling he looks like the most Unstoppable score on the
Planet but then some nights it looks like he’s just destroying the offense single-handedly as just kind of a black hole on that end doesn’t do a lot of playmaking really if he’s not scoring he’s not impacting the game a ton plus the defense is really rough for him
Again he’s a young score he’s a smaller guard I think eventually he’ll find his footing in can be really good in this league he’s just not a guy right now that can carry an offense he’s taking the most shots per game for them that’s currently where they’re at offensively
They’ve got good role players like Dorian finny Smith shooting 40% from Deep Kim Johnson shooting 39% from Deep with 14.2 points per game Royce O’Neal is shooting 37% from Deep like they’ve got some pretty solid role players I think all the guys on this team could be really good in supporting roles they
Just really don’t have a number one or maybe even a true number two guy not a lot of consistent shot creation like one of the Top Shot creators and Playmakers on their roster and Spencer D witty is shooting 38% from the field and 31% from Deep that’s not a recipe for offensive
Success at least nothing sustained at one point my brother and I were talking a bit about this team and I think he put it well when he said that this is kind of an All-Star team of role players which yeah like there’s a lot of really
Solid talents on this swar I think they could thrive in different roles but they’re all being used a bit more heavily than you would really like it’s just not a team with a true top guy so that’s led to them being kind of stuck in purgatory and this was always going
To be a transition year but at the very least I was hoping like Mel Bridges would make an All-Star Game and continue to LEAP Ben Simmons would maybe bounce back from his injuries in some type of way instead they’ve just kind of had a disappointing season not that there’s
Nothing to take away from this year I think there have been some positives but it’s not been the kind of positives that I was hoping for and to make matters worse they don’t have their pick this year it’s owed over to Houston in the James Harden trade so right now they’re
Currently slided to deliver the eighth overall pick straight to the Houston Rockets so the question is what’s the move for them do they go ahead and just ride this thing out the rest of the season see if they make the plan maybe find their way into the playoffs just to
Ultimately get swept or do they go ahead and trade guys now lead into the deadline and see what you can get back for a lot of these quality role players which to me sounds like the way better option right now you’ve got guys like Lonnie Walker who’s having a fantastic
Season he was a huge signing for them and he’s been fantastic cu a score he’s expiring see what you can get back for him same thing for Dennis Smith Jr I’m sure some team out there would take a chance on a point of attack Defender like him Royce O’Neal also expiring all
Guys I think you could get some type of draft Capital back for Nick claxon is expiring do you commit to him longterm there’s some rumors that they may not see him as a guy they want to pay a bunch of money if you’re not going to do
That trade him now maybe you could do like a Sig and trade thing with restricted free agency but I would just go ahead and get in front of it trade him at the moment I’m sure there’s a billion team out there that would love to trade for Nick claxon and would
Probably offer you a first round pick if maybe not more draft capital and a young player on top of that I’d even consider trading cam Johnson and male Bridges as well I know they’re two of the best players on this team and I know Nets fans have a huge attachment to male
Because of what he’s become for them in his first year or so with the team but you could get a really good haul for both of them for cam Johnson you could probably get a first round pick some salary Fuller maybe a young player and from male Bridges there’s a rumor that
They were offered four first round picks at one point from m brid Bridges now I hope that’s not the case cuz if they turn that down that’s insane to me but if you can get anything close to that for Mel Bridges I’m taking that immediately as long as they’re not like
The worst picks in the world I’m super willing to accept like three first round picks and some salary filler for Mel Bridges get some more draft Capital into this team m is great but he’s what 27 28 years old at this point he can’t be your
Number one option I’m sure the Nets want to keep him cuz they probably Envision finding a way to lure a superstar over to Brooklyn whether that’s through fre agency or a trade and you’ve got Mel as a supporting piece I just don’t really see it being a viable option for the
Brooklyn Nets they don’t have a package that’s going to match up with a lot of other teams there aren’t any Big Time free agents becoming available this off season I would just get in front of it I think at some point they’re going to have to trade male trade him right now
While he still has value even though his value is probably down from last season when you could have maybe gotten four first round picks four at the deadline but even still I would go ahead and trade them away consider trading everybody you don’t have to trade everyone but at least trade the expiring
Guys see what you can get back back for Like A dorany Smith as well as a role player you can get so much like first round picks second round picks young players just pick a direction don’t ride this thing out into the off season when guys can leave in free agency when guys
Are going to lose trade value make the moves now and I’m sure some people are saying well they don’t have their first- round pick they have no incentive to tank they’re not going to have it anyways and whether they like it or not they’re tanking at the moment they’ve
Been really bad as of late this isn’t a team that’s going to make the playoffs they’re going to give the Rockets a lottery pick anyways why does it really matter where it is do what’s best for your team in the moment and if you ask me bring in draft
Capital to add to their board chest maybe bring in young players to spice up this team maybe you get picks even in this upcoming draft maybe you get a lottery pick in 2024 just find ways to help influx this team with young Talent work towards a new era pick a direction
Because right now you’re just kind of in basketball Purgatory you can s cam Thomas maybe claxon Ben Simmons is probably not super tradable right now you can still maybe bring him back at some point this season next season see what can do maybe he can rehab some of
His trade value refind his All-Star form who knows what can happen but at the very least you’re going to have some young players you’ve also got guys like Deon sharp for example uh DQ whad Noah clown who they got in the draft this year who I think both of have at least
Some potential who knows how much neither one of them have played very much for Brooklyn so you can see what you have in them for the rest of the year just stop being a basketball Purgatory is really kind of where I’m going with this whole video I know they
Don’t want to trade male I know they don’t want to trade cam Johnson all these guys it’s not a team that’s very good just go ahead and make the moves now before you regret it and let all their trade value kind of Wither away you let guys leave in free agency and
You look back and think wow we really weren going to do much in the first place we should have just gone ahead and made those moves especially because there’s not like a bunch of big stars out there on the deadline I think this is going to be a big role player trade
Deadline like teams are looking to add that final piece or two the Nets have a lot of guys teams could benefit from I’m sure they could get a great return so fingers crossed that’s something they actually commit to and they don’t just hang out in the middle I appreciate
Youall watching think that’s all my thoughts I have on the Brooklyn Nets for right now let me know what your your thoughts are should they trade male Bridges cam Johnson all these other guys do you think they should ride this thing out find a way to get a superstar
Alongside these role players would love to know your opinions uh especially if you’re an Nets fan because I haven’t talked to too many Nets fans about this love to know what you have to say but for right now leave like And subscribe if you enjoy hit the notification Bell
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#NBA #BrooklynNets #nbatrades
0:00 – Intro
1:36 – Preseason Questions
3:31 – Falling Apart
5:15 – What’s Wrong?
9:48 – What’s Next?
11:36 – Trade EVERYONE
14:55 – Outro
18 Comments
And this is why they should trade bridges to the Pacers. Only Buddy Hield can save their season
As a nets fan, since they didn’t get any attention when they were playing well, I was hoping that nobody would notice that they’ve been terrible lol
I dunno what the nets are doin starting dinwiddie. Dude is over 30 and not really that good. Nets could probably get a nice return for cam johnson and bridges. Just keep cam thomas and nic claxton. Also they need a better coach
The last loss against Portland like 10 days ago Dinwiddie hardly played the second half and was visibly upset about it. Last night they let him play the 4th and he makes a crucial defensive mistake that cost them the game 😂
Still think
Hawks: mikal
Spurs:dejounte
Nets:malaki Brahnam, 2 or 3 firsts
They should have traded Bridges last year, they would have gotten 4 more first round picks plus the Kyrie and Durant trades would have been insane for a rebuild
I’m a thunder fan and I just saw them fuck us up in Brooklyn not to long ago 😭
Wait till I get back though 😤
Man I legit forget that Ben Simmons exists
They should take Taj Gibson from the Knicks and give us Bridges! They’d be basically stealing from us.
As a Nets fan I’m tired of people disrespecting Mikal but blaming Jacque Vaughn for Cam Thomas playing bad both players are way better than what they’ve been showing lately the issue is the offense has no structure so it’s a glorified pick up game vs a NBA team our players are going to struggle because we don’t have a scheme
Come on Cone the fact that you really didn’t address the biggest issue with my team being JACQUE VAUGHN!
its cuz mikhal bridges didnt step up. Hes ass this season
As a nets fan the only players i want to keep are Claxton, Thomas, Sharpe, Whitehead and Clowney. I want them to trade everyone else for young players or picks like Toronto did with OG and Pascal
Imagine if Wemby had this around him instead of the trash in San Antonio lol
I would 100% release Ben Simmons. I would not waste another week in “What if Land”
Nets should trade cam johnson tbh, I honestly have been more impressed by what royce o neal did for us last year than whatever dogshit cj is puttin out for us. And don't even get me started on worst fg% spencer dinmiddie💔💔
I'm still shocked they didn't go hard after Dame using the picks they got for KD/Kyrie. Didn't think Mikal as a #1 would work and it hasn't.