The streak is over. For the first time in over three years, the New York Knicks took down the Brooklyn Nets with a 122-106 victory Monday at Madison Square Garden. The growing pains of Brooklyn's new-look roster were on full display as the team struggled to string together positive possessions on either end of the floor.
Here are three takeaways from the Nets' decisive loss to their crosstown rival:
3. Jacque Vaughn struggles while feeling out new rotation
Following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, Brooklyn has a completely revamped roster with the additions of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian-Finney Smith. The shakeup gives the Nets a surplus of wings, a position they had been severely lacking in recent seasons.
Amazingly, the Nets have gone from little to no depth on the wing to potentially too much. The four names mentioned above join a roster that already features Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris and Yuta Watanabe. In the process of feeling out the new group, head coach Jacque Vaughn played a 10-deep rotation for the second straight game Monday.
That uncertainty extended from the wing rotation to the frontcourt with Day'Ron Sharpe and Ben Simmons splitting minutes behind Nic Claxton. It's going to take far more than two games, but Vaughn will need to make tough decisions to establish consistent roles if the Nets hope to gain any sort of chemistry heading toward the postseason.
2. Ben Simmons' role reduction continues
Vaughn and Simmons both commented on the forward's role reduction since returning from injury before Monday's matchup. Simmons moved to the bench for Brooklyn's last two games, logging just 36 total minutes in the pair of appearances. The trend continued Monday with the Aussie posting just two points, three rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
This marks the fourth straight game that Simmons has played fewer minutes than he did in the last. The three-time All-Star has largely been phased out of the crunch time rotation over the recent stretch, averaging just 3.8 minutes in the fourth quarter, including a DNP in Brooklyn's lone win over Chicago Thursday. Simmons went as far as saying he has “no idea” what his role is moving forward when speaking Monday at shootaround.
“Everything's been changing all year, so it's hard to really understand what’s going on, but hopefully we find some rhythm and consistency,” Simmons said. “It's different. It’s a different experience (coming off the bench). So whatever the team needs from us to win, I’m willing to do that.”
Over Simmons' last four appearances, he is averaging 4.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists on just 4.0 shots per game.
1. Offensive woes continue minus Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving
It's no secret that when you trade players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving without bringing another star in, you're going to struggle offensively. The Nets went into halftime Monday with a three-point lead after scoring 61 points. But like Saturday's loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, the offense stalled in the second half.
Brooklyn mustered just 45 points after scoring 38 against the Sixers. Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 28 points, although it came on 8-of-21 shooting. Mikal Bridges (7 points on 2-of-8 shooting) struggled to find his rhythm while adjusting to his role as one of Brooklyn's top shot-creators. Cam Thomas will have to provide a scoring punch off the bench moving forward for Vaughn's squad to survive offensively. That proved a difficult task Monday with the 21-year-old managing just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Without Durant and Irving, Brooklyn has no choice but to shift to a score-by-committee mindset. While that can work in the first half, as illustrated in the new-look squad's first two games, they will need to find reliable sources of offense down the stretch of games. Those responsibilities will more than likely fall on Dinwiddie, Bridges and Thomas. All three will have to be far better than they were against New York if the Nets hope to remain competitive.
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