The Brooklyn Nets kicked off their rebuilding era Tuesday with a 115-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their preseason opener. Jordi Fernandez made his head-coaching debut in front of owner Joe Tsai at Frontwave Arena in San Diego.
The Nets were without starting center Nic Claxton and reserves Day'Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford, while the Clippers were missing Kawhi Leonard. However, several offseason acquisitions took the floor in black and white for the first time.
Here are three key takeaways from Brooklyn's first action.
Cam Thomas plays balanced role in first game as No. 1 option
Thomas enters the season carrying a heavy offensive burden for a Nets team severely lacking offensive firepower. However, Fernandez emphasized his intention to help the fourth-year guard raise his efficiency. A critical aspect of that will be helping him get clean looks within the flow of the offense, as opposed to off the dribble in isolation.
Thomas played a balanced role against Los Angeles, working off the ball alongside point guards Dennis Schroder and Ben Simmons with the first unit while acting as a point guard alongside the reserves. He led the starters with 12 points and two assists on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in 17 minutes.
Both of Thomas' threes came off the catch as he continued to flash his quick trigger. His floor spacing was a noticeable area of growth last season, as he shot a career-high 43.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.
Thomas will be the face of Brooklyn's offense this season. While the team's lack of shot creation will undoubtedly force him into difficult situations, finding ways to take pressure off the 22-year-old will be among Fernandez's top priorities.
Ziaire Williams impresses in Nets debut
Ziaire Williams' acquisition was one of the most interesting moves of Brooklyn's offseasons. General Manager Sean Marks acquired the 23-year-old forward and a second-round pick for Mamadi Diakite in a cost-cutting move by the Memphis Grizzlies. Williams boasts an impressive physical profile at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan but was never able to polish his offensive skillset in Memphis.
While that area of his game still needs plenty of work, he made a noticeable impact in his Brooklyn debut. Williams provided a spark off the bench, posting 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 5-of-9 shooting. He was a team-high plus-10 in 23 minutes as Brooklyn climbed out of an 18-point hole in the second quarter after he checked in.
The former No. 10 pick was among the Nets' most active defenders as they forced seven turnovers in the frame.
Fernandez and Brooklyn's player development staff will face an uphill battle to improve Williams' outside shooting. The Stanford product shot just 30.1 percent from deep over three seasons with the Grizzlies. However, he has the physical tools and motor to impact several aspects of the game.
That's more to work with than one would expect for a player the Nets acquired for free.
Nets push the pace in first game under Fernandez
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Every team that struggled offensively the prior season has the same goal in training camp: they want to play faster. It makes sense in theory. Scoring is far more difficult in the halfcourt against a set defense than in transition. However, creating turnovers, rebounding and doing the other things necessary to play at an up-tempo pace for 82 games is easier said than done.
It will be more important than ever for a Brooklyn team featuring its least offensive talent in years.
The Nets got out on the break against Los Angeles, forcing 19 turnovers and scoring 27 fastbreak points. They shot 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) in transition compared to 26-of-73 (35.6 percent) in the halfcourt.
While the Nets lack offensive firepower, they have the length and athleticism to create problems on the defensive end. Between Simmons, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Cam Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith, there's no shortage of defenders who can challenge ball-handlers at the point of attack or press up into passing lanes.
The team will need to generate as much of its offense as possible starting on that end of the floor.