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The Brooklyn Nets' competitive start to 2024-25 raised concerns about their draft odds during a tanking season. However, the rebuilding squad lost Nic Claxton during Wednesday's blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, and his absence could send them back in their desired direction.
Claxton received an epidural injection due to a lower back strain and will reevaluated on Friday. With Day'Ron Sharpe also sidelined due to a hamstring strain, the Nets played without a traditional center during back-to-back losses to the New York Knicks this weekend.
Their depleted frontcourt was exposed during Sunday's 114-104 loss, as the Knicks held a 50-24 advantage in points in the paint. New York shot 25-of-42 (59.5 percent) on the interior, while Brooklyn converted 12-of-30 (40 percent) attempts. The Nets' small-ball center rotation of Ben Simmons, Dorian Finney-Smith and Noah Clowney was no match for Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted 26 points, 15 rebounds and six assists on 10-of-16 shooting.
Following the loss, head coach Jordi Fernandez was asked about his frontcourt's viability with Claxton and Sharpe sidelined.
“It's a good question, and we're going to find out,” he replied. “Obviously, it's always good to have Nic and Day'Ron because they've got great attitudes, they've got great energy, and they just help the team. But the reality is this is part of the NBA. Guys will be out. The good thing is they aren't major injuries. They'll be back soon, and when they're back, we'll be happy to have them back. But right now, this is our reality, and we'll find a way to play.”
Nets face uphill battle to compete with depleted frontcourt
After being benched last week, Simmons re-entered the starting lineup in place of Claxton against the Knicks. He played his worst game of the season on Sunday, posting zero points on 0-of-3 shooting with four rebounds, eight assists and three turnovers in 22 minutes.
When asked about the Nets' interior struggles, the three-time All-Star kept his response short.
“I just don’t think we brought energy tonight. We didn't play how we needed to play,” Simmons said.
Finney-Smith and Clowney were no match for Towns' size on the defensive end. However, they contributed offensively, combining for 29 points on 6-of-11 shooting from three.
While the Nets will struggle on the interior without a traditional center, their small-ball lineups can create offensive advantages. Brooklyn shot 36-of-87 (41.4 percent) from three during the pair of Knicks matchups.
“It's an advantage for us too. Being able to put [Towns] kind of in a pick-and-roll situation, make him guard, having to chase around,” Cam Johnson said. “The personnel we have is the personnel we have, and I believe in all our guys. The other teams might have advantages on offense, but we can create advantages of our own on offense, and we did at times [tonight]. We've just got to be better, and we all know that.”
But with Simmons unwilling to attack the basket on rolls or drives and Finney-Smith and Clowney limited as finishers, Fernandez's squad will rely heavily on outside shooting offensively. Competing against high-level teams will be a tall task on nights when threes aren't falling.
The Nets' three-game losing streak dropped them to 5-9, tied for the NBA's seventh-worst record.
They'll face more tough tests while shorthanded in the next two weeks. Brooklyn will host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday before departing for a four-game road trip with matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
