Erik Slater Articles - Page 28

You’d be hard-pressed to find an NBA team with a more confusing direction than the Brooklyn Nets. After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season, the team has held on to its high-priced veterans through the offseason and the 2024 deadline. Armed with seven tradable first-round picks and potentially over $40 million in cap […]

The Brooklyn Nets had clear expectations entering the 2023-24 season: a scrappy team that would compete nightly but struggle to close games against star-studded rosters. While they’ve failed to live up to that billing, posting the NBA’s sixth-worst record (13-33) over the last three months, they kept to the original script during Thursday’s 115-108 loss […]

The struggling Brooklyn Nets will be shorthanded for Thursday’s road matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Dorian Finney-Smith has been ruled out due to left ankle soreness, the team announced Wednesday. Finney-Smith was listed on the status report for Brooklyn’s last two games due to his ankle. The 30-year-old missed six games in early February after […]

The flashes were always there for Cam Thomas during his first two NBA seasons. Whether he was leading a 28-point comeback on national television at Madison Square Garden his rookie year or becoming the youngest player in NBA history with three consecutive 40-point games last season, it was clear the Brooklyn Nets guard had untapped […]

Mikal Bridges has built upon his reputation as the NBA’s undisputed “Iron Man” this season. The Brooklyn Nets forward reached another milestone on Tuesday, playing in his 500th consecutive game, including the regular season and playoffs. Bridges’ mark is the longest active streak in the NBA and the 13th longest of all time. He sits […]

There has been little reason for excitement surrounding the Brooklyn Nets of late. There would be virtually none if not for Cam Thomas. After returning from an ankle injury, the third-year guard has been the Nets’ lone bright spot during a 1-4 stretch over their last five games. Thomas has scored 20-plus points in each […]

It seemed nearly impossible for Victory Wembanyama to live up to expectations entering his rookie season. Not only did the San Antonio Spurs No. 1 pick show Sunday why he was the most hyped prospect since LeBron James, but he proved that he can live up to it. Wembanyama put on a dazzling display of […]

Is Ben Simmons’ NBA career over? It’s a legitimate question to ask after the Brooklyn Nets shut him down for the second straight season due to a back injury. Following the 2023-24 campaign, the former No. 1 pick will have appeared in 57 of 254 possible games over the last three seasons. When on the […]

There was no shortage of Brooklyn Nets blunders during their 122-115 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. However, none was more puzzling than interim head coach Kevin Ollie’s handling of their final possession. Trailing 118-115 with 20 seconds remaining in overtime, Ollie called timeout to draw up a play. Five players emerged […]

Kevin Ollie revealed the Brooklyn Nets’ recipe for success upon taking over as interim head coach. “I’ll tell you the recipe: It’s low turnovers,” he said. “When we do that, and we have high assists and no dead possessions, we win games.” The Nets have failed to follow that gameplan in 13 appearances since the […]

Every NBA season, fringe playoff teams reach a point where they must decide between digging deep or packing it in. For the Brooklyn Nets, it came at the All-Star break, with general manager Sean Marks firing Jacque Vaughn and promoting Kevin Ollie to interim head coach. Marks – who spoke of making Brooklyn a “destination” […]

D’Angelo Russell has emerged as the Los Angeles Lakers’ most trusted floor general this season. However, that wasn’t the case last season, with head coach Darvin Ham benching him in the Western Conference Finals in favor of veteran point guard Dennis Schroder, now with the Brooklyn Nets. Ham had a prior relationship with Schroder, having […]

From Oak Hill Academy to LSU to the Brooklyn Nets, Cam Thomas has never taken the floor wearing any number besides 24. The prolific scoring guard wears it in honor of Kobe Bryant, his favorite player growing up. After spending most of his first two NBA seasons on the bench, Thomas has broken out with […]

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons underwent successful surgery to alleviate a nerve impingement in his lower back, the team announced Thursday. “Ben Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy earlier today to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back,” the Nets said in a statement. “The procedure was performed by Dr. Timur Urakov, in […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas feels he should be getting more Most Improved Player consideration amid a breakout campaign. After praising the third-year guard’s developing skillset following Brooklyn’s last win, interim head coach Kevin Ollie feels the same. “I definitely [think he should be in the running],” Ollie said. “Seeing his growth… What he did […]

The Brooklyn Nets are nearing full strength as they attempt to make a play-in push with 17 games left in the season. After missing three games due to a right ankle sprain, Cam Johnson is expected to play Wednesday vs. the Orlando Magic. Johnson injured his ankle in the opening minutes of a March 5 […]

Cam Thomas has made the most of his first real NBA opportunity this season. After spending two years on the bench, he’s become a focal point of the Brooklyn Nets’ offense, averaging a team-high 21.3 points per game on 44/37/83 shooting splits. Thomas’ scoring average has jumped 10.7 points from last season- the highest of […]

With their season slipping away, the Brooklyn Nets desperately needed a shot in the arm against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. They got one in the form of Cam Thomas. The Nets ran the Cavaliers off the floor during a 120-101 victory before a sellout crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. In his second game back […]

The Brooklyn Nets may have received the dagger to their play-in hopes. After losing to the nine-win Detroit Pistons on Thursday, Brooklyn fell 110-99 to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Entering the game, Charlotte owned the league’s fourth-worst record (15-48) and longest losing streak (six games). The demoralizing defeat comes shortly after the Nets announced […]

Kevin Ollie spoke firmly about the hustle he would demand from the Brooklyn Nets upon taking over as interim head coach. However, spirited efforts have been a rarity during his 10 games at the helm. The Nets failed to buck that trend during Saturday’s 110-99 loss to a 15-win Charlotte Hornets team on a league-worst […]

No NBA player has played more minutes than Mikal Bridges over the last five seasons. The Brooklyn Nets forward – owner of the league’s longest active games played streak – has not missed an appearance since high school. But based on his recent production or lack thereof, he may finally need to accept a break. […]

The Brooklyn Nets will have one last chance to save their season over the next week. They’ll receive much-needed reinforcements as they try to do it, with Cam Thomas expected to return Saturday versus the Charlotte Hornets. Thomas has missed Brooklyn’s last six games after spraining his right ankle during a February 26 win over […]

Early March presented the Brooklyn Nets an opportunity to re-enter the Eastern Conference play-in conversation. While Brooklyn opened the month with a pair of wins over the Atlanta Hawks, who sit directly ahead of them in the standings, they’ve failed to take care of business since. And with each loss, they watch their season slip […]

The Brooklyn Nets have ruled out Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season, the team announced Thursday. After missing three months due to a left lower back nerve impingement earlier this year, Simmons returned for nine games before the injury sidelined him again on Feb. 24. “Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder […]

The Brooklyn Nets were the healthiest they’d been all season after the All-Star break, and it didn’t last long. With Cam Thomas (right ankle sprain) and Ben Simmons (left lower back nerve impingement) already sidelined for five games, Brooklyn sustained two more injuries to key players this week. Day’Ron Sharpe suffered a right wrist contusion […]

Following a letdown loss vs. the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, the Brooklyn Nets saw their season slipping away during Tuesday’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Facing the prospect of falling three-and-a-half games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the East’s final play-in spot, Brooklyn trailed a Sixers team without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey by […]

There has been no shortage of “worst loss of the season” candidates for the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24, but Monday’s 106-102 home defeat to the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies might take the cake. Following two straight wins over the Atlanta Hawks, who are directly ahead of Brooklyn for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot, the Nets […]

The Ben Simmons injury cycle has been never-ending since the three-time All-Star joined the Brooklyn Nets at the 2022 trade deadline. After sitting out the first half of 2021-22 while forcing his way out of Philadelphia, the former No. 1 pick has appeared in 57 of 178 possible games with the Nets. Simmons missed the […]

The injuries just keep coming for Ben Simmons. After missing the Brooklyn Nets’ last three games due to leg soreness, the three-time All-Star was ruled out Monday vs. the Memphis Grizzlies due to a left lower back nerve impingement, the same injury that sidelined him for three months earlier this season. The update does not […]

The Brooklyn Nets took a chance on a proven commodity at the college level when they selected Jalen Wilson with the 51st pick in this year’s draft. Midway through the 2023-24 season, they like what they’ve seen from the rookie. Brooklyn elevated Wilson, a four-year player at Kansas and the unanimous 2023 Big-12 Player of […]

The Brooklyn Nets may not have admitted it, but their season was on the line entering this week’s pair of matchups with the Atlanta Hawks. A 2-8 stretch dropped them four games back of Atlanta for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament ahead of the mini-series. Times were desperate, and interim head […]

Ben Simmons will remain sidelined for the Brooklyn Nets’ third straight game Saturday vs. the Atlanta Hawks due to a left leg injury. The team initially listed Simmons as questionable before ruling him out due to left knee soreness. Brooklyn later clarified that it was a leg injury, not a knee. This marks the second […]

The Brooklyn Nets will remain shorthanded for another critical matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Cam Thomas was ruled out for his third straight game due to a right ankle/midfoot sprain, while Ben Simmons is listed as questionable after missing the last two due to left leg soreness. Interim head coach Kevin Ollie called […]

The Brooklyn Nets filled their final roster spot Friday, converting two-way forward Jalen Wilson to a three-year, standard contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The deal is guaranteed for the rest of this season, partially guaranteed for 2024-25, and includes a team option in 2025-26, league sources told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. General Manager Sean […]

The Brooklyn Nets needed some offensive heroics from their supporting cast with Cam Thomas sidelined for Thursday’s pivotal matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. They had yet to find such production in four appearances under interim head coach Kevin Ollie, posting the league’s worst offense (92.8 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting) on their way […]

After downgrading Ben Simmons to questionable ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, the team officially ruled him out shortly before tipoff due to left leg soreness. Simmons, who was not listed on the team’s initial injury report, has been battling a left leg ailment over the last week. The three-time All-Star exited Saturday’s […]

The Brooklyn Nets lost a key front office executive Thursday ahead of a pivotal offseason, with assistant general manager Jeff Peterson joining the Charlotte Hornets as their head of basketball operations, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Peterson joined the Nets in May 2019 after assistant general manager Trajan Langdon left to become the New Orleans […]

The Brooklyn Nets will remain shorthanded for a pivotal matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Cam Thomas has been ruled out for the game due to a right ankle/midfoot sprain. Thomas injured the ankle with seven minutes left in Monday’s blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He had X-rays that came back negative and downplayed […]

New coach. Same broken offense. That’s been the story for the Brooklyn Nets since the All-Star break. The team is 1-3 under interim head coach Kevin Ollie, ranking dead-last in points per game (92.8) and field goal percentage (40.5) during the stretch. A season-worst shooting slump for Mikal Bridges has been at the center of […]