Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 7 – NBA Blog

Nets sign Dru Smith to a two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Dru Smith to a two-way contract.

Smith (6’3″, 200) appeared in five games with Miami this season while on a two-way contract with the Heat, recording averages of 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.4 minutes per game prior to being waived on Dec. 11.

Most recently, Smith has appeared in and started eight regular season games for Miami’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 18.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals in 36.3 minutes per contest while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range.

The Evansville, Ind., native also played in 10 regular season games (five starts) for Sioux Falls during the 2021-22 season and holds career NBA G League averages of 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.4 minutes per game.

Smith previously played two collegiate seasons (2019-21) at the University of Missouri after playing his first two seasons (2016-18) at the University of Evansville. In 26 games (all starts) as a senior at Mizzou, Smith averaged 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals in 34.1 minutes per contest while shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from distance and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. He led the SEC in steals per game for the second consecutive season en route to All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team honors.

Brooklyn’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Nets waive Alondes Williams

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Alondes Williams.

Williams originally signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn on July 4, 2022. He appeared in one game with the Nets, logging five minutes of action on Dec. 10 at Indiana. Williams also played in 11 games in the 2022 NBA G League Showcase Cup with Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, registering averages of 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.2 minutes per game, as well as five 2022-23 regular season NBA G League games with Long Island, averaging 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.

Brooklyn’s roster now stands at 16 players, including one two-way player.

Kevin Durant injury update: isolated MCL sprain of the right knee

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been diagnosed with an isolated MCL sprain of the right knee. The injury occurred during the third quarter of last night’s game at Miami.

Durant will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Durant has recorded averages of 29.7 points (sixth in the league), 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks (ninth in the league) in 36.0 minutes per game (12th in the league), while shooting a career-high 55.9 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range and a career-best and league-leading 93.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Among the players in the league’s top 10 in points per game, Durant has registered the highest field goal percentage and the fewest shots per game (18.8), and he is one of just two players in the league to rank in the top 10 in both points per game and blocks per game.

Durant ranks second in field goals made (410), third in total points scored (1,158), tied for sixth in blocks (58) and eighth in free throws made (267).

In addition to shooting a career-high 62.2 percent from 2-point range, Durant is in the midst of an incredible season-long midrange performance, shooting a career-best 57.1 percent, which also represents the best midrange field goal percentage in a season among all players with at least 200 attempts across the last 25 seasons.

He is tied for the league lead in 25-point games (32) and leads the league in 25-point games while shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field (25), which is only three games shy of matching a single season Nets record in the category.

Durant has also continued his climb up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Alex English, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan and Dominique Wilkins this season to vault from 22nd to 14th place with 26,684 career points.

Twice-honored as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week this season, Durant has led Brooklyn to a 27-13 record, good for the second-best record in the league.

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn named NBA Eastern Conference Coach of Month for Dec. 2022

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Jacque Vaughn has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December. The honor is the first of Vaughn’s coaching career.

Vaughn guided Brooklyn to the winningest month in franchise history and the best record in the league in December (12-1), three games ahead of the next-best team in the Eastern Conference. For the month, the Nets led the league in points per game (119.7), field goal percentage (54.0 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (42.2 percent), effective field goal percentage (61.3 percent) and offensive rating (120.5) while ranking second in net rating (8.3) and blocks per game (6.0), fourth in assists per game (26.6) and 10th in defensive rating (112.2). Brooklyn’s field goal percentage was the highest in a month for any team in more than 30 years (Golden State shot 54.1 percent from the field in Feb. 1992) and the highest in a month in franchise history. The Nets’ points per game were the third highest in a month in franchise history, as they tallied 110 or more points in 11 of their 13 games played. The Nets also posted a league-best 7-1 record in ‘clutch’ games (minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game).

The Nets are in the midst of a 12-game win streak, which began on Dec. 7 at Charlotte. The 12 straight wins are the most for any team in the league this season, mark the third-longest win streak in franchise history and represent the most consecutive wins for the Nets since winning a franchise-record-tying 14 straight games in the 2005-06 season. Brooklyn has also reeled off seven straight road wins since Dec. 10 at Indiana, representing the longest road win streak in the league this season and marking the second-longest road win streak in franchise history, trailing only an eight-game road win streak in the 2020-21 campaign.

Vaughn took over as Brooklyn’s head coach on Nov. 1. Since then, the Nets have recorded a league-best 23-7 record, which represents the best 30-game start to a season for a head coach in franchise history. With Vaughn at the helm, Brooklyn has ranked third in offensive rating (117.0), fourth in defensive rating (109.8) and second in net rating (7.2), joining Boston as the only teams with a top five offense and defense in that time. For the season, Brooklyn boasts a 25-12 record, just one game behind the Celtics for the best record in the league, while posting the second-best road record in the league (12-7). The Nets lead the league in field goal percentage (51.5 percent) and blocks per game (6.8), rank second in 3-point field goal percentage (39.3 percent), third in opponent field goal percentage (45.3 percent) and are top 10 in the league in offensive rating (116.2 – third), defensive rating (111.6 – 10th) and net rating (4.5 – third), one of four teams with a top 10 offense and defense this season. The Nets have also compiled a league-best 14-3 record in ‘clutch’ games, including a 12-2 record with Vaughn leading the way.

Including a stint as the team’s interim head coach in the 2019-20 season, Vaughn has compiled a record of 30-10 as Brooklyn’s head coach, good for the best 40-game start for a head coach in Nets history. Vaughn is the sixth Nets head coach to earn Coach of the Month honors since the award was first presented in the 1982-83 season and the first since Steve Nash in Feb. 2021. Vaughn also joins Jason Kidd as the only two men to play for the Nets and earn a Coach of the Month honor as the franchise’s head coach.

All-Time Nets Coach of the Month Honorees:

Jacque Vaughn – Dec. 2022
Steve Nash – Feb. 2021
Jason Kidd – March 2014
Jason Kidd – Jan. 2014
Avery Johnson – Oct./Nov. 2012
Lawrence Frank – April 2007
Lawrence Frank – March 2006
Lawrence Frank – April 2005
Lawrence Frank – Feb. 2004
Byron Scott – Dec. 2003
Byron Scott – Dec. 2002

*Note – The NBA began awarding Coach of the Month by conference in 2002-03.

Nets beat Hawks, extend winning streak to 10 straight games

The Nets have won 10 games in a row. Tonight’s win, a tight 108-107 victory against a short-handed Atlanta Hawks team who were without Trae Young, Clint Capela and supporting cast players, was too close for comfort. But the win streak continues. Via the New York Daily News:

“[Winning 10 in a row] sounds good, especially since there’s just been an up and down vibe with our team the past few years,” Kevin Durant said postgame. “So it’s good to win a game and have some fun.”

The Hawks built a 15-point second-quarter lead in part due to Jacque Vaughn’s first truly confusing move since taking Steve Nash’s post as head coach in Brooklyn. His rotations have traditionally been tight, even tighter when it comes to the two superstars: Durant normally plays the entire first quarter, while Kyrie Irving traditionally sits the final few minutes of the first to lead the reserves in the second quarter while Durant gets a rest.

On Wednesday, Vaughn veered from the norm. He played both Irving and Durant the entire opening period — and sat both of Brooklyn’s stars to start the second quarter.

Of course the Hawks went on a run and built a lead five points shy of 20. Vaughn had a lineup of Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Yuta Watanabe and T.J. Warren on the floor until taking a timeout at the 5:25 mark of the second quarter.

Via the New York Post:

Kyrie Irving had a team-high 28 points while Kevin Durant added 26. The pair combined to double Hawks star Dejounte Murray — who had 24 — into the fateful, final miss at the buzzer, preserving the rally.

“They’re playing great basketball and as I said to the team, they’re hot as a firecracker,” Atlanta coach Nate McMillan had warned. “They have of course, Kyrie and Durant that are elite players; but the supporting cast is playing really good basketball, shooting the ball extremely well from the floor.

“They’re playing a lot of guys, they have a lot of dangerous guys that are playing off of those guys. So they’re playing, I think they’re becoming the team that a lot of people thought they would be. And right now they’re playing the hottest team.”

James Harden speaks on time with Nets

Via the New York Post:

James Harden’s time with the Nets was brief, complicated and ultimately a flop.

But the organization was as much to blame as anyone, according to Harden.

“I don’t mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever. It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure,” Harden said in an interview with Fox Sports in an interview that took place five days before the Nets fired Steve Nash and was published Friday. “That’s what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations.

“I just feel like internally, things weren’t what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that. And I knew people were going to talk and say, ‘You quit’ and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there [Kevin Durant] wanted to leave. So it’s like: Am I still the quitter?”

FULL ARTICLE

Jayson Tatum says Kevin Durant is like a brother to him

Via Boston.com:

The Celtics defeated the Nets 103-92 on Sunday, extending the team’s record to a league-best 19-5. Boston faces the Raptors tonight in Toronto at 7:30 p.m…

Following the Celtics’ win over the Nets on Sunday, Jayson Tatum was asked about facing Brooklyn superstar Kevin Durant.

“That’s like a brother to me,” Tatum said of Durant. “Somebody I’ve gotten really close with. Obviously competed against a lot in the playoffs recently. Known since I was in high school, won a gold medal with, worked out with a lot this summer. So somebody that I respect a lot.

“We talk often,” Tatum added. “And those matchups always you enjoy. Somebody that has played at a high level — the highest level — for as long as he has, it brings the best out of you. So you always enjoy those matchups with one of the best players to ever play.”

FULL ARTICLE

Ben Simmons playing well lately for Nets

There was no good reason to expect Nets guard Ben Simmons to play well right away this season. The question was when, or if, he’d eventually start to look like his former multi-talented basketball self. Via the New York Post:

Ben Simmons is getting healthier. And he’s getting better.

Considering the All-Star hadn’t played since June 2021 — beset by a bad back and nerve damage that pundits accused him of faking — it’s predictable that even after rehab would follow rust. And though Simmons isn’t 100 percent yet going into Friday’s tilt versus the Pacers, the last few games are a tantalizing taste of what he can be when he gets there.

Kyrie Irving pointed to confidence, while coach Jacque Vaughn called it the “body piece.” Unsurprisingly, Markieff Morris was more blunt.

“Healthy. Finally got his legs under him. He was off for two years. Y’all won’t even give him a chance. Y’all want to criticize him after every f–king game,” Morris said. “But the guy didn’t play two years. Obviously, y’all wouldn’t know, because none of y’all played in the NBA. He’s got to get his body right. There’s contact every night. Playing 30-plus minutes, it takes time.”

The Nets are 9-10 so far this season. And with Simmons playing well and Kyrie Irving back in action after suspension, the team is worth keeping more of an eye on going forward.

Nets name Jacque Vaughn their new head coach

The Brooklyn Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as head coach.

“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” said General Manager Sean Marks. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”

Vaughn was named acting head coach on November 1.

Per the New York Post, “the Nets, who reportedly were zeroing in on suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka, instead have removed the “interim” label on Jacque Vaughn, who is now the head coach. The Nets have gone 2-2 in four games since Steve Nash was fired, but under Vaughn, they have held their opponents under 100 points for three games straight – the only three times they have done so this season.”

Vaughn, who was in his seventh season as an assistant coach with the Nets, also served as the team’s head coach for a 10-game regular season stint during the 2019-20 season. He compiled a 7-3 regular season record and guided the Nets through their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. He previously spent two-plus seasons (2012-15) as head coach of the Orlando Magic and was a pro scout for one season (2015-16) and assistant coach for two seasons (2010-12) with the San Antonio Spurs.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, the Los Angeles native enjoyed a 12-year playing career in the NBA after being selected with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. In 776 career games with the Jazz (1997-2001), Hawks (2001-02, 2003-04), Magic (2002-03), Nets (2004-06) and Spurs (2006-09), Vaughn recorded averages of 4.5 points and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He made nine playoff appearances in his 12 NBA seasons and was a member of the 2007 NBA champion Spurs. Vaughn is one of the most decorated players in the storied history of Kansas basketball, both on and off the court, leaving Lawrence as a two-time consensus second-team All-American, the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year and a two-time Academic All-American. Vaughn’s jersey (No. 11) was retired by the Jayhawks in 2002.

Nets suspend Kyrie Irving

STATEMENT FROM THE BROOKLYN NETS

“Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate. We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress with our joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.

We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify.

Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”