After starting the season 0-2, the Nets obtained their first victory of the season at the home opener against the mighty Milwaukee Bucks, completely upsetting the hopeful contender. There are some fans who are upset at this victory, as the Nets are tanking for a chance to draft potential superstar Cooper Flagg in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft; however, one gritty victory is not going to upset the tank. There are several positives to take from this game, as coach Jordi Fernandez proved that if he wanted to, he could put out a team capable of winning any game.
The Nets led 48-45 after the 1st half, with their defense keeping them in the game. Offensively, the Nets struggled, shooting 35% FG and 30% from 3PT as a team. Thomas struggled in the 1st half, as he did in the first 2 games, scoring 7 points on 3-9 FG. The Nets did a fantastic job generating good looks from 3PT, but they were just unable to capitalize on the open looks Simmons and Thomas were creating in the halfcourt. Ultimately, this did not matter, because the Nets returned the favor by dominating Milwaukee on defense. Similar to their games against the Hawks and Magic, Fernandez designed the defense to shut down Giannis, with Simmons and DFS as the primary defenders on the Greek Freak. Whenever Giannis would step into the paint, the Nets would double him, forcing the ball out of his hands, which led to Giannis attempting only 3 field goal attempts in the 1st half. The Bucks shot 24% from 3PT on 17 attempts, as the Nets pressured full court and got into the passing lanes, they forced 10 turnovers after two quarters.
In the 2nd half, the Nets began to dominate both ends of the floor. Cam Thomas came to life, scoring 25 points on 7-12 FG. As coach Fernandez has said, Thomas's superpower is scoring, he was bulldozing through the defense, finishing the game with 32 points and 5 rebounds. Thomas was not the only Net dominating, as veteran Dennis Schroder was playing like his Olympic/FIBA self, scoring 29 points and 6 assists, shooting 5-8 from 3PT. Most notably, coach Fernandez proved that he is capable of having this team play at a high level when he wants to. One of the reasons why the Nets started struggling is that they overplayed Ben Simmons. When Simmons is off the floor in favor of Claxton, the Nets offense looks much better, as defenses aren't able to easily play off Claxton because he is a threat to score around the rim. The Nets played their best basketball against the Bucks when Simmons was off the floor.
Simmons struggled against the Bucks, finishing the game with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 1-3 FG. There were several plays throughout this game where Simmons turned down shots at the rim, reminiscent of his infamous pass against Trae Young back in the 2021 playoffs. One play, in particular, stood out: Simmons got a steal against Damian Lillard, and on the 3-on-1 fast break, he passed up a layup against Brook Lopez, which resulted in a missed 3-pointer. After this play, coach Fernandez immediately sent Simmons to the bench, frustrated by Simmons's lack of aggression.
Ultimately, this was a fantastic win against the Bucks. Coach Fernandez has done something no other Brooklyn head coach has done since Kenny Atkinson: he’s made these players buy into a culture of playing hard. As long as he believes in his players and his players believe in him, he can be the head coach who leads the Nets out of this rebuild.
Comments