Julius Randle has played enough NBA basketball in his career to know how trivial an October exhibition is. Regardless, the veteran forward still dove after a loose ball Thursday night and picked up full court as if something bigger than a preseason result were at stake.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s newly signed Moe Wagner, who made life miserable for the Philadelphia 76ers\u2019 bigs. Keon Ellis pressured ball handlers relentlessly. Chaney Johnson challenged shots, including a 3-point attempt from Joel Embiid. Everywhere the Nets turned, somebody seemed determined to make another possession hell for the visitors.<\/p>\n
And while Brooklyn wasn\u2019t particularly sharp offensively, it kept finding ways to rip the ball back.<\/p>\n
The Nets improved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 114-108 victory over the 76ers at Barclays Center, shooting 44.3% from the field but forcing 22 turnovers, collecting 14 steals and attempting 18 more shots than Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Randle finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists on 4-for-11 shooting. Egor D\u00ebmin added 13 points and five assists, while Ellis and Nolan Traor\u00e9 scored 12 apiece. Noah Clowney contributed 11, including 10 during a third-quarter surge that turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 12-point advantage.<\/p>\n
It was a different kind of performance from Tuesday\u2019s 124-90 win in Charlotte, where Brooklyn shot 55% and buried 20 3-pointers. The Nets weren\u2019t nearly as accurate Thursday. Their physicality and willingness to chase extra possessions helped make up the difference.<\/p>\n
Head coach Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez was particularly pleased with Randle, whose defensive effort matched the demands placed on Brooklyn\u2019s younger players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I couldn\u2019t ask for a better leader and a better vet right there,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said.<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez described Randle\u2019s hustle as winning basketball. Effort that encourages others to follow. For a roster still learning how its pieces fit together, that example stood out, particularly with Michael Porter Jr., Day\u2019Ron Sharpe and Mikel Brown Jr. unavailable.<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez got undermanned Nets teams to compete last season, even as the organization kept its focus on the future. Thursday offered another early look at what those demands could produce with a different collection of players.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia\u2019s stars played limited minutes, and Brooklyn\u2019s reserves nearly surrendered a comfortable fourth-quarter lead. Two preseason games weren\u2019t enough to settle much.<\/p>\n
Still, winning when the shots weren\u2019t falling gave the Nets something to build on.<\/p>\n
Here are our takeaways from Brooklyn\u2019s second preseason victory.<\/p>\n
D\u00cbMIN TOOK CHARGE<\/p>\n
D\u00ebmin opened Thursday by knocking down a 3-pointer and hitting a turnaround jumper over VJ Edgecombe. Then came the play that best illustrated how his offensive game is changing. The second-year guard crossed over LeBron James, attacked the lane and finished at the rim over Embiid.<\/p>\n
The second-year guard saw an opening and took it, but that wasn\u2019t always the case last season. D\u00ebmin could get into the paint, but navigating traffic and deciding what to do once he got there remained works in progress. His handle now looks tighter, his movements more deliberate and his willingness to challenge defenders greater.<\/p>\n
The shooting numbers showed there\u2019s still work to do, and he acknowledged afterward that he needs to slow himself down around the basket. Getting there with more purpose was an encouraging step. Finishing consistently is the next one.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, very composed, five assists, one turnover, got to the paint multiple times and you just can see how much he\u2019s improved already from last year,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said.<\/p>\n
D\u00ebmin said afterward that Randle has encouraged him to take command of the offense, telling him, \u201cHey, lead us. Tell us what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearing that from an established veteran carried weight for the 20-year-old. D\u00ebmin said the conversation helped him feel more comfortable communicating with the group, and Fern\u00e1ndez has noticed him becoming more vocal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that his voice is growing, so it\u2019s very important,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said.<\/p>\n
The Nets need D\u00ebmin to become more than a spot-up shooter. Thursday was another glimpse of a guard learning to create for himself, organize the offense and make his presence felt in ways that go beyond his jumper.<\/p>\n
JOHNSON KEPT MAKING HIS CASE<\/p>\n
Chaney Johnson spent Tuesday dunking all over Charlotte. Thursday gave him another way to stand out.<\/p>\n
The two-way forward battled Embiid, defended bigger players and used his length to disrupt Philadelphia\u2019s offense. He blocked an Embiid 3-point attempt during the first quarter, knocked down a trey of his own and finished with nine points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 18 minutes.<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s versatility is becoming his strongest argument for playing time.<\/p>\n
At 6-8, he has the strength to compete with bigger opponents and the mobility to switch onto smaller ones. His willingness to shoot gives defenses something else to account for. Together, those qualities offer Fern\u00e1ndez several ways to use him without asking him to be a featured scorer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does that work that not many people want to do on the court and he\u2019s grateful for having that opportunity,\u201d D\u00ebmin said. \u201cAgain, I think it\u2019s rare and I appreciate him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
D\u00ebmin went further, predicting Johnson will eventually earn a standard NBA contract.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a strong endorsement, though Johnson still has to carve out his place in a crowded frontcourt. Clowney, Wagner, Sharpe and Danny Wolf are among the players competing for minutes, and Fern\u00e1ndez made clear that Johnson hasn\u2019t secured a rotation spot, while still encouraged by what he\u2019s seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously there\u2019s nothing guaranteed here. He\u2019s going to keep growing,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said.<\/p>\n
Johnson keeps giving the staff reasons to consider him. An impressive Summer League carried into training camp, and his first two preseason outings have shown he can contribute in different ways. The dunks draw attention. The range of assignments he can handle could be what gets him on the floor.<\/p>\n
ELLIS FIT RIGHT IN<\/p>\n
Ellis might be one of Brooklyn\u2019s easiest players to fit into a lineup. He doesn\u2019t need a steady diet of touches to contribute. He defends, spaces the floor and takes advantage when the offense finds him.<\/p>\n
Ellis scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting Thursday, including two 3s, without committing a turnover. He also helped set a physical tone at the point of attack, pressuring Philadelphia\u2019s guards and making routine possessions less comfortable.<\/p>\n
The box score credited him with one steal. His defensive impact extended beyond that number.<\/p>\n
On offense, his willingness to adjust to the opportunities available should be useful alongside Randle, Porter and developing creators such as D\u00ebmin.<\/p>\n
That approach gives Fern\u00e1ndez flexibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, some games I\u2019ll shoot two shots, sometimes I might shoot 10,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cSo, whatever the game calls for, and that\u2019s just what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
TRAOR\u00c9 GAINED GROUND<\/p>\n
Traor\u00e9 entered the preseason looking stronger and more decisive. Two games in, his jumper has begun attracting attention, too.<\/p>\n
After scoring 10 points in 10 minutes against Charlotte, the French guard followed up with another strong performance Thursday. He made two of three attempts from beyond the arc, both during Brooklyn\u2019s decisive third quarter.<\/p>\n
It took him time to get there. Traor\u00e9 went 1-for-5 from the field in the first half before finding his rhythm after halftime, when Philadelphia relied more heavily on its reserves.<\/p>\n
While Traor\u00e9\u2019s speed has always been an asset, a refined perimeter jumper defenders have to respect would give him more room to turn the corner and pressure the paint, making the rest of his offensive game harder to contain.<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez credited the guard\u2019s summer work.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, he\u2019s got to keep shooting, and he\u2019s got to keep being fast and keep getting stronger,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cYou guys can see the difference already and very happy with Nolan as well through the summer and now these couple of games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Traor\u00e9 entered with Brooklyn\u2019s first group of substitutes and handled the second-unit point guard responsibilities. Ben Saraf didn\u2019t play until the fourth quarter, finishing with five points and three assists in 12 minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Julius Randle has played enough NBA basketball in his career to know how trivial an October exhibition is.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":855438,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[679,7,670,247,3803,376,185,6,671,3971],"class_list":["post-855437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn-nets","tag-76ers","tag-basketball","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-brooklynnets","tag-julius-randle","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba","tag-nets","tag-preseason"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117416259942170199","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}