Erik Slater Articles - Page 34

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has drawn a strong response for his endorsement of a film and book that is widely considered antisemitic. On Thursday, Irving posted a tweet and Instagram story that feature an Amazon link to the 2018 film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America”, which is based on a 2015 book […]

One word could properly describe Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s performance against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night: Masterclass. Doncic dominated the game in every aspect, posting 41 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists while leading Dallas to a 129-125 overtime win. The 23-year-old became the 10th player in league history to record three career 40-point […]

It was easy to see the Brooklyn Nets would be tested early when assessing their schedule to start the season. For the fourth-straight game, the Nets were in a dogfight Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. And for the third consecutive time, they came up short. Brooklyn fell 129-125 in overtime to Dallas. Luka Doncic […]

Steve Nash and Jason Kidd battled for years as the league’s top point guards in the early 2000s. Now with both nearly a decade removed from their playing days, the pair of Hall of Famers face off as head coaches. Kidd’s young Dallas Mavericks squad made a surprise push to the Western Conference finals last […]

The Brooklyn Nets were thought to be adding a skill set unlike any in franchise history when they traded for Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-11 point guard’s playmaking and scheme versatility were lauded as keys to the team’s new-look offense. The Nets have not seen those results through four games. A loss in Milwaukee Wednesday dropped […]

Kevin Durant said at training camp that the Brooklyn Nets’ response to adversity this season would be the true test of their camaraderie. Like students in the first week of class, that test is coming earlier than Ben Simmons and Brooklyn’s squad may have liked. The Nets fell to 1-3 with a 110-99 loss to […]

Ben Simmons’ lack of aggressiveness has been an issue for the Brooklyn Nets through the first week of the NBA season. Through three games, Simmons has taken 13 shots and been to the free-throw line three times. The Nets hope this will not be a long-term problem as the three-time All-Star is Brooklyn’s third highest-paid […]

Brooklyn Nets players and coaches emphasized throughout the preseason that Ben Simmons’ re-acclimation to NBA play would be a process. That has been the case to open the season with Simmons fouling out of two of three games and scoring 17 total points. Simmons showed a more aggressive mindset in the first half of Brooklyn’s […]

Ja Morant quickly emerged as one of the top young stars in the NBA over the last two seasons. The 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies stud isn’t showing any signs of slowing down in 2022-23. The former second overall pick is leading the league in scoring at 35.3 points per game to start the year. Morant led […]

The Brooklyn Nets ran into one of the league’s top up-and-coming teams when they traveled to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Brooklyn faced another promising young squad in the New Orleans Pelicans to open the season. The result was an embarrassing blowout loss. The Nets turned in a more valiant effort this time, falling […]

The Brooklyn Nets expected a significant jump from fourth-year center Nic Claxton when they signed him to a two-year, $17 million contract this offseason. Claxton has delivered thus far, posting back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his career to open the season. The big man provided a spark for Brooklyn in the second half […]

The Brooklyn Nets are not known for having one of the better home-court advantages in the NBA. When the team moved to Brooklyn, it hoped to cut into the fanbase of the struggling Knicks and stake a claim of New York City. Ten years later, the Knicks still reign supreme in New York. However, the […]

The Brooklyn Nets were embarrassed by the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday in their season opener. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and more spoke throughout the preseason about the team’s need to show greater resiliency than last season, and that’s exactly what they did Friday night. Brooklyn bounced back to grab their first win of the season […]

The Brooklyn Nets have another significant reinforcement on the way. Nets head coach Steve Nash said Seth Curry is “probably a couple more practices” away from making his season debut. Curry missed the season opener and all four of Brooklyn’s preseason games while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. The 32-year-old came to the Nets as […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris will make his season debut Friday night against the Toronto Raptors after missing his team’s season opener and final three preseason games. Harris is dealing with soreness in the same foot as his surgically repaired ankle. “I am going to play tonight,” Harris said at shootaround Friday, via Chris Milholen. […]

Several Brooklyn Nets players spoke throughout training camp about shedding the team’s “soft” reputation from last season. But “soft” was an accurate description of the Nets in their season opener Wednesday night. The Nets were manhandled by the New Orleans Pelicans 130-108 before a home crowd of 18,000. Brooklyn lost the rebounding battle 61-39 and […]

The story behind the Brooklyn Nets’ season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans was the long-anticipated returns of two former number one picks. Ben Simmons and Zion Williamson took the floor for the first time in over 16 months Wednesday. And there was no dispute over who won the highly anticipated matchup. Simmons was outplayed […]

The Brooklyn Nets make their much-anticipated regular-season debut Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. With that, here are three bold predictions for the Nets in this 2022-23 NBA season. 3. Kyrie Irving joins the 50/40/90 club for the second time Through Irving’s controversial vaccine stance and holdout last season, many forget he became the […]

Before Kyrie Irving was an NBA champion, seven-time All-Star, number one pick and five-star recruit, he was just a kid falling in love with basketball in South Orange, New Jersey. Irving grew up a die-hard New Jersey Nets fan, frequently attending games at Continental Airlines Arena. Those years featured two trips to the NBA finals […]

The Brooklyn Nets face a tough test when they open the 2022-23 season Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Nets looked sharp in wins over Milwaukee and Minnesota to close the preseason as the new-look roster gained chemistry on both ends of the floor. They now face a New Orleans team headlined by Zion […]

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving said at Media Day that he didn’t appreciate the “stigma” surrounding him as a player following a controversial 2021-22 season. The seven-time All-Star missed more than half of last season while refusing to comply with New York’s workplace vaccine mandate, a decision that ultimately caused Brooklyn’s once hopeful season to […]

The Brooklyn Nets will be without two key role players to start the 2022-23 season. Head coach Steve Nash announced Sunday that Joe Harris and Seth Curry have both been ruled out for Brooklyn’s home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 19. Harris missed the Nets’ final three preseason games while dealing with […]

Kyrie Irving spoke at Nets media day about building a supportive environment in Brooklyn this season. Despite missing more than half of last year while refusing to comply with New York’s workplace vaccine mandate, Nets players have continually spoken highly of Irving as a teammate. The fourth-year Net recently welcomed his second child and Kevin […]

Ben Simmons’ return to Philadelphia on Nov. 22 will be one of the most anticipated regular-season games in recent NBA memory. The former No. 1 pick’s departure from The City of Brotherly Love proved increasingly bitter last season with Simmons sitting out the first 54 games of the 76ers’ season. He was eventually traded to […]

The Brooklyn Nets got their first preseason win Wednesday night over the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-97. The Nets’ focus looked noticeably different from two losses last week with the team playing a fast-paced, physical brand of basketball. Ben Simmons turned in his best performance with the Nets thus far, posting seven points, eight rebounds and 10 assists […]

The Brooklyn Nets enter this season as the most unpredictable team in the NBA. There is a mountain of skepticism surrounding the team’s ability to mesh following Kevin Durant’s trade request and ultimatum this summer. Despite this, a big three of Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, along with a talented supporting cast, gives Brooklyn […]

Ben Simmons took just three shots in the Brooklyn Nets’ 109-80 preseason loss to the Miami Heat last week. The three-time All-Star struggled to find his rhythm for a shorthanded Nets squad in his second appearance following a 470-day layoff. Simmons’ passivity in 25 minutes of action was glaring. The former number one pick has […]

The Brooklyn Nets are dealing with several injuries ahead of their home opener on Oct 19th. Head Coach Steve Nash said Wednesday that Joe Harris and Seth Curry would not play in Brooklyn’s two remaining preseason games. Harris played just 14 games last season before undergoing a pair of surgeries on an injured ankle. The […]

LeBron James called Victor Wembanyama an “alien” after watching him play recently. Like many, James was blown away by the performance of a player some are calling the greatest prospect in basketball history. Wembanyama played in a pair of Las Vegas exhibitions against the G League Ignite, and it is easy to see why some […]

The Brooklyn Nets are just over a week away from opening night. The team has a pair of preseason games under its belt with two more coming this week as anticipation for regular season action builds. With that, I took some questions from NetsWorld in the second edition of my Nets mailbag. Who is most […]

The Brooklyn Nets were blown out in both of their preseason games to open the 2022-23 season. While the games are exhibitions, Kyrie Irving said Brooklyn is not taking the preseason for granted, and the seven-time All-Star emphasized one critical area that the team needs to improve. “I think the low-hanging fruit that we could […]

Ben Simmons played in his second game after a 470-day layoff on Thursday night against the Miami Heat. The rust was evident, with the former no. 1 pick posting four points, four assists and six turnovers in 25 minutes. There was a clear passivity to Simmons’ game in his first two contests, and the three-time […]

The NBA season begins in 11 days. ESPN, CBS, and Sports Illustrated recently came out with their Top 100 player rankings for 2022-23. With that, we look at which Brooklyn Nets made the cut and whether the outlets correctly ranked them among their peers this season. Joe Harris ESPN: N/R CBS: 95 SI: N/R The […]

Steve Nash called Igor Kokoskov “an offensive encyclopedia” early in training camp. The Brooklyn Nets hired the assistant coach this summer to lead an offensive overhaul with the arrival of point guard Ben Simmons. Kokoskov has coached in the league for over 20 years, spending four seasons with Nash with the Phoenix Suns from 2008-12 […]

Ben Simmons played in his second game after a 470-day layoff Thursday night, and it was clear the three-time All-Star has a ways to go in his return to his old form. Simmons took just three shots in Brooklyn’s 109-80 preseason loss to Miami. The Nets were outplayed in every aspect of the game with […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons played their first game together Monday night. The Nets struggled out of the gate against the Philadelphia 76ers with players getting acclimated to new roles, but the new-look roster’s offensive potential was apparent in spurts. Simmons has an incredibly unique skill set […]

The Brooklyn Nets have one of the top rosters in the NBA, but following a chaotic 2022 offseason, the league’s general managers have different opinions on where the team will finish 2022-23. NBA.com published the results of its annual GM survey Tuesday. One of the questions posed to the league’s decision-makers: Which team’s level of […]

The Brooklyn Nets opened the preseason with a 127-108 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night. Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant shared the floor for the first time in the loss. Here are three takeaways from Brooklyn’s first game action of the 2022-23 season.  3. The Ben Simmons fit with the Nets […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash announced ahead of their preseason opener that Joe Harris and Nic Claxton would start alongside Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons. Claxton moves into the starting center role following the departure of Andre Drummond. Harris gets the nod Monday as Brooklyn’s last starter, a spot that has been […]