Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

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Nets need consistency from Taurean Prince

Here’s the New York Post with some words on Nets forward Taurean Prince:

Prince found himself pulled from the starting lineup by Atkinson in the deposed coach’s final game, and was still used as reserve by interim coach Jacque Vaughn until the season was shut down.

“I’m a grown man, it’s fine,” Prince had said. “Do I want to come off the bench? Completely not. But do I want to do whatever it takes to help the team get to where we ultimately want to go? Any day of the week.”

But how can the Nets best use Prince to get where they want to go when — or if — play resumes? Or next season when Kevin Durant returns?

Prince averaged 12.1 points and a career-high six rebounds, but his 37.6 shooting percentage was the worst of his career and lowest of any Nets rotation player. And after inking Prince to a two-year, $29 million extension in October that kicks in next season, the Nets need a more consistent Prince.

The NBA season is currently on hold, and it’s unclear if we’ll get more action anytime soon.

Stan Van Gundy discusses Nets and Knicks coaching jobs

Here’s the New York Post reporting what veteran coach Stan Van Gundy has to say about coaching opportunities with the two teams:

Both the Knicks and the Nets have head coaching vacancies. And between the two open spots, Stan Van Gundy – a big-name coach on the market – says the more attractive gig is the one in Brooklyn.

And it’s not even close.

“Of the two the Nets are the better job. There’s no question about that right now,” Van Gundy said on ESPN Radio. “The organization has been more stable. They’ve won more games. They have more talent.”

The Knicks will be spending this offseason figuring out which young players to hang onto, while chasing free agents. The Nets already have a crop of stars, and must figure out what the supporting cast should look like.

Nets part ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson

The Brooklyn Nets have said goodbye to head coach Kenny Atkinson. A team statement says the two sides have “mutually agreed to part ways.”

Jacque Vaughn will serve as head coach for the remainder of the season.

“After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” said General Manager Sean Marks. “This was an extremely difficult decision, however the organization believes it is one that is necessary at this time. Kenny was instrumental in developing our players and building the identity and culture we have become known for over these past four seasons. The foundation he helped put into place here is one that we will continue to build on in the coming seasons. We are forever grateful for all of Kenny’s hard work and dedication to the Nets and the Brooklyn community. Kenny, Laura and the Atkinson family will always remain a part of our Nets family and we wish them nothing but the best in the future.”

The New York Post:

The Nets lured free-agent prizes Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to town, but Durant has yet to suit up due to a torn Achilles suffered in last year’s NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Irving’s season officially ended this week after shoulder surgery and just 20 games. The rest of the team has been plagued by injury and inconsistency.

Atkinson compiled a 118-190 record in his three-plus seasons with Brooklyn. He finishes his tenure in Brooklyn ranked third in franchise history in games coached and fourth in wins.

Caris LeVert scores 51 points against the Celtics

Nets shooting guard Caris LeVert wasn’t having a standout game last night in Boston against the Celtics. And then a switch was flipped, and he went absolutely wild, unleashing one of the most dramatic late-game performances we’ve seen in the NBA this season. Here’s the New York Post:

Caris LeVert led the way with a career performance to carry them to a 129-120 come-from-behind overtime win at TD Garden.

LeVert poured in a career-high 51 points, including 37 after the third quarter that saw the Nets trail by as much as 21.

The Nets hung up a team-record 51 points in the fourth quarter. LeVert had 26 of them, as well as every point for them in overtime as the Nets outscored the Celtics 11-2.

The Nets got 16 points and eight rebounds from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds from DeAndre Jordan and sparkplug play from little-used two-way Chris Chiozza.

The Nets are now 27-33, currently 7th in the Eastern conference, narrowly ahead of the 8th place Magic.

Kyrie Irving, who earlier Tuesday underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and Kevin Durant, who isn’t playing at all this season, have to be excited to see LeVert’s ability and potential.

Nets sign Justin Anderson to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets signed guard/forward Justin Anderson to a 10-day contract today.

Anderson (6’5”, 231) joins Brooklyn from the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. In 13 games (all starts) for Raptors 905 this season, Anderson has recorded averages of 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest. Over four NBA seasons with Dallas (2015-17), Philadelphia (2017-18) and Atlanta (2018-19), Anderson has appeared in 216 games and holds career averages of 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He also appeared in seven games (all starts) for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League during the 2015-16 season.

The Montross, Va., native was originally selected by Dallas with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft following a three-year (2012-15) collegiate career at the University of Virginia. While playing for the Cavaliers, Anderson earned National Basketball Coaches Association All-America Third Team honors and was named to the All-ACC Second Team as a junior. He was also named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as a sophomore.

The Nets roster now stands at 17 players.

Nets sign guard Chris Chiozza to two-way contract

Saturday night, the Brooklyn Nets signed guard Chris Chiozza to a two-way contract.

Chiozza (5’11”, 176) joins Brooklyn from the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. In 10 games (nine starts) this season for the Go-Go, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.6 steals in 31.1 minutes per contest. Chiozza signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards earlier this season on Oct. 21, and appeared in 10 games for the Wizards, averaging 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 12.3 minutes per game. During the 2018-19 season, Chiozza was signed to a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets on Feb. 22 and was later signed for the remainder of the season by the Rockets on March 23. He appeared in seven games for Houston, averaging 0.9 points in 4.6 minutes per game. Over two NBA G League seasons with Rio Grande Valley (2018-19) and Capital City (2018-20), the 24-year-old has appeared in 57 games (55 starts) and holds career averages of 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 33.1 minutes per game.

The Tennessee native played four collegiate seasons (2014-18) at the University of Florida. In 139 career games (65 starts), he averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest. Following his senior season, the Gators’ all-time assists leader (571) was named to the All-SEC First Team after appearing in 34 games (32 starts) and averaging 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.0 minutes per game.

The Nets roster now stands at 16 players.

Nets waive David Nwaba, who was out with a season-ending injury

The Brooklyn Nets have waived guard/forward David Nwaba, who recently suffered a season-ending injury.

According to the New York Daily News, “Nwaba was ruled out for the season after tearing his Achilles in a Dec. 19 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.”

Nwaba appeared in 20 games for Brooklyn this season, recording averages of 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per contest. He signed with the Nets on July 17, 2019.

More from the Daily News: “The Nets had a full roster and could only add a full-time replacement by waiving the injured Nwaba.”

The Nets’ roster now stands at 16 players.

Nets guard/forward David Nwaba undergoes season-ending surgery

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward David Nwaba underwent surgery today to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

The injury, which occurred during last night’s game at San Antonio, will result in Nwaba missing the remainder of the season.

In 20 games played this season, Nwaba recorded averages of 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game, shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

Nets stay hot, beat Nuggets 105-102

We’ll be writing about this ourselves later tonight, but for right now, here’s the Denver Post reporting:

Brooklyn guard Spencer Dinwiddie bullied his way to the rack twice in the final minute as the Nets hung on to beat the Nuggets 105-102. The loss dropped Denver to 14-7 and 1-2 on this road trip with a matchup at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

“They dominated the paint 66-22,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “That third quarter was a joke. … Seemed like it was layup lines out there. We took away the 3-point line, but there was no resistance at the rim.”

The loss spoiled a strong 3-point shooting night from Jerami Grant, who poured in five of Denver’s 18 makes. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 45 points, but Brooklyn’s relentless inside attack undermined their productivity.

The Nets have looked like a blatantly better team with Spencer Dinwiddie running the show lately. Kyrie Irving isn’t set to return just yet, but once he does, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson will have some interesting decisions to make.

Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic named NBA Players of the Week

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were named East and West NBA Players of the Week for gamesplayed from Monday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov 24, 2019.

And this is fun: It’s the first Players of the Week award for either player.

Dinwiddie led Brooklyn to a 3-1 record on the week, recording averages of 25.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.3 minutes per game. Dinwiddie began the week by totaling 28 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes in a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 18. He followed up that performance by leading Brooklyn to the first of a season-best three straight victories, registering 20 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 37 minutes in a 101-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 20. Dinwiddie then posted 23 points, seven assists and two steals in 28 minutes in a 116-97 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 22. The six-year NBA veteran rounded out the week by registering his second 30-point game of the season, totaling 30 points, four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes in a 103-101 win at the New York Knicks on Nov. 24.

Doncic (6-7, 230) led the Mavericks to a perfect 4-0 week with averages of 37.0 points (.554 FG%, .444 3FG%, .788 FT%), 8.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game and victories over San Antonio (Nov. 18), Golden State (Nov. 20), Cleveland (Nov. 22) and Houston (Nov. 24). He posted at least 30 points and 10 assists in all four games, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (20 years, 269 days) to record four consecutive 30-point, 10-assist efforts (the previous youngest was Oscar Robertson at 22 years, 34 days). He also led all players outright in scoring all in four games and led the Mavericks outright in assists in all four.