Erik Slater Articles - Page 44

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 […]

It has been more than 15 months since Ben Simmons last played in an NBA game. The three-time All-Star is expected to make his long-anticipated debut when the Brooklyn Nets open preseason action Monday night. Simmons last appeared in a disastrous Game 7 loss in the second round of the 2021 playoffs. He sat all […]

Kevin Durant walked across the Brooklyn Nets’ practice court to a group of reporters following practice Friday. When he heard the first question focused on his trade request, he answered with notable exhaustion. “Can we move on past that at some point?” Durant asked. “I mean, I know it’s an interesting story. I know that […]

Ben Simmons comes into the 2022-23 season as the new piece that can put the Brooklyn Nets back into title contention. The 6’11” point guard possesses a skillset unlike any other player in Nets franchise history. Coming off a disappointing 2021-22 season, head coach Steve Nash was highly complimentary of the three-time All-Star’s versatility Tuesday […]

The Brooklyn Nets had a long list of obstacles to overcome during a disappointing 2021-22 season. Kyrie Irving’s refusal to comply with New York’s workplace vaccine mandate left Brooklyn without its second-best player for most of the season. Joe Harris played just 14 games before a pair of ankle surgeries ended his year. And Kevin […]

Markieff Morris wasted no time voicing his opinion on Kevin Durant’s trade saga at Day 1 of Brooklyn Nets training camp. “That’s the NBA man, you break up with a girlfriend, you get back with her,” Morris said Tuesday. “Same s–t. You air your differences until you figure it out.” When asked if that approach […]

The Brooklyn Nets held media day Monday following one of the strangest offseasons in recent NBA memory. Kevin Durant’s trade request and Kyrie Irving’s contract negotiations dominated NBA discussions this summer. Nets players, along with General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Steve Nash, spoke on the tumultuous past few months in a series of […]

The Brooklyn Nets open 2022 training camp on Sept. 27. The team moves into this season with several additions poised to provide a shakeup to the rotation. With that, here are three training camp battles to watch over the coming weeks. 3. Joe Harris vs. Royce O’Neale Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are […]

It has been 15 months since Ben Simmons last played in an NBA game. His debut for the Brooklyn Nets represents one of the most highly anticipated returns in recent NBA memory. Despite this, the three-time All-Star isn’t lacking confidence heading into the 2022-23 season. Simmons appeared on The Old Man and the Three podcast […]

Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving will be eligible to play games in Toronto against the Raptors this season. Canada will drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate by Sept. 30, according to the Globe and Mail. The mandate previously required Irving and other unvaccinated athletes to quarantine for 14 days after entering the country. Brooklyn […]

Markieff Morris came to the Brooklyn Nets on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. On the surface, this may seem like a relatively insignificant signing. However, a recent report said ownership played a role in what the team deemed an important acquisition. According to Marc Stein, the Nets considered signing Morris “sufficiently significant” to the point where […]

As the Brooklyn Nets begin training camp next week, one of several questions continues to be: Who is the roster’s backup point guard? Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving will shoulder most of the ball-handling responsibilities for the Nets this season. Despite this, Irving has frequently been used off the ball in his last two seasons […]

The Brooklyn Nets move into the 2022-23 season as a far deeper and more versatile team than last year. A busy offseason featuring a key trade and numerous free agent signings added several new faces to Brooklyn’s supporting cast. However, the Nets still have needs such as a floor-spacing center and backup point guard. And […]

The Brooklyn Nets begin training camp in less than two weeks. Following an eventful offseason, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons headline the roster with a new-look supporting cast for the 2022-23 season. Brooklyn has 19 of its 20 maximum roster spots filled ahead of camp. With that, let’s rank each player and detail […]

The Brooklyn Nets announced the signings of David Duke Jr. and Chris Chiozza Friday morning. Duke Jr. signed a two-way deal with Brooklyn last season after going undrafted out of Providence. He returns to the Nets on another two-way after reports said he was holding out for a standard deal. The guard appeared in 22 […]

The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2022-2023 season with several question marks. Following a drama-filled postseason and summer surrounding Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, there is well-deserved skepticism regarding the team’s stability. In this article, we address the five biggest questions surrounding the Nets heading into this year. 5. Do the Nets make […]

Training camp is just two weeks away and the Brooklyn Nets head into the 2022-23 season with a new-look rotation. The additions of Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Royce O’Neale, T.J. Warren and more offer extensive lineup versatility as compared to last season’s injury-depleted team. In this article, we offer projections for Brooklyn’s starting and closing […]

The Brooklyn Nets will have several new looks during the 2022-2023 season, unveiling two new uniforms in the last month alone. NBA teams, in partnership with Nike, release three alternate uniforms each year: City, Classic and Statement Editions. Each has a different meaning and complements the team’s traditional uniforms, which are known as the Association […]

Most of the focus surrounding the Brooklyn Nets this summer has been on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Irving’s contract negotiations and Durant’s trade request dominated national media throughout the offseason. But things have now cooled on both of those fronts. And through Brooklyn’s soap opera, some of the team’s smaller moves were easily overlooked. […]

The dust has settled from the Kevin Durant trade request and the Brooklyn Nets once again have one of the top rosters in the NBA, at least on paper. A major part of that is the return of three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. It has been 15 months since Simmons last appeared in an NBA game. […]

The Brooklyn Nets have several roster spots to fill ahead of training camp. Could 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony be joining Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in Brooklyn? Reports have surfaced indicating that Durant may be in favor of Brooklyn signing Anthony. However, another report hinted that Nets management does not share their superstar’s […]

The Brooklyn Nets begin their 2022-2023 campaign in just over a month. Following a summer of non-stop speculation surrounding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets look to move past the drama and compete for a title. There are several matchups that Brooklyn fans should have circled on their calendars this season. 5 must-watch games […]

Training camp is just three weeks away as the new-look Brooklyn Nets inch closer to their 2022-2023 campaign. Things have been relatively quiet on the Nets front since the Markieff Morris and Yuta Watanabe signings last week. With that, I took some questions from NetsWorld in the first edition of my Nets mailbag. Who do […]

NBA training camps open three weeks from Tuesday and the Brooklyn Nets still have roster spots to fill. Brooklyn added Royce O’Neale, T.J. Warren, Edmond Sumner, Markieff Morris and Yuta Watanabe this offseason. Sumner’s deal is partially guaranteed while Morris and Watanabe both signed non-guaranteed contracts. UNLV forward Donovan Williams is rumored to have agreed […]