***Official 2022-23 Training Camp/Preseason Thread***

[3pt_chucker]

People will focus on the offense and rightfully so but the defensive improvement is finally starting to look like it can/should be elite.

The starting front court of Ben-KD-Clax is awesome. One thing that stands out is how much length that trio has in the middle of the floor. Each can play help defense while staying attached to their primary assignment. It makes driving into the paint tougher and Clax can now actually be a rim protector(3 Blks tonight). Add Royce into the mix and as another smart defender with size who can switch, it's just tough to score against at all 3 levels. Nets can finally run a switching defense that makes sense.

Also it was nice to have size defensively off the bench. We saw this in the 2ndQ when the lineup was Patty-Ben-Yuta-Morris-Sharpe. Lineup was UGLY offensively but the defense was really good(except for Patty cakes)

Yuta brings length and 1000% energy and effort(guy contests everything!), Morris brings smarts and physicality. Sharpe has short arms but he's strong and brings lots of energy and hustle. If the team can get TJ Warren and Harris healthy, then the team will be high level defense no matter who is one the floor because of the size and versatility.

One thing that needs to clean up tho is the overhelping on defense/collapsing the paint that leads to wide open 3s. While I understand a bit of that is deliberate, they need to funnel the open 3's to not be corner 3's, but ones that are above the break or the wings. A lot of that is just communication and reps. If that can be fixed, this team can be a top 3-5 defense easily.

[MrDollarBills]

I lost my phone ugh

I have so much to say about last night. They looked fantastic on both ends. Once Ben feels like he belongs again will unlock this team.


We need a stretch five like we had with Justin Hamilton. That’s what looks glaringly missing off the bench.

we might have to wait til the buyout market. Til then we're probably running Sharpe/Morris/Yuta in the 2nd unit as bigs.

If TJ Warren is 80% of his former self, our bench is going to be nuts. And Nash has Simmons running the 2nd unit group if last night is any evidence.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Great game finally from the group. Loved what I saw on both ends. The team was running the offense nicely and our shooters were getting great looks almost all game. Way less standing around or Ben + Claxton bumping into each other.

Ben really put his stamp on the game in transition. When's the last time we actually ran a team off the floor? Those long outlet passes are contagious. Once they lead to a bucket, everyone starts looking for them and running harder. He threw like 3 or 4 passes tonight that only a handful of guys can make.

Defensively, this was the first time we saw how special Ben + KD + Claxton could be. Throw Royce in there and that's a lot for teams to handle. First time I've ever seen Giannis have to work against us. And we forced a ton of TOs. We played some LONG lineups tonight.

Love Yuta already BTW.

Yeah this was the best I've seen us defend Giannis, the length of our team was definitely a factor. He's always going to get his but making him work for it goes a long way.

I think Royce should start. We look better with Simmons/Kyrie/Royce/Durant/Claxton. Harris just doesn't seem like he can stay healthy.

Marks may have finally gotten the roster make up right. If the guys stick to playing team basketball the sky is the limit. Having Ben as the primary facilitator helps with that. Even KD was moving the ball.

Honestly the only guy I want going 1 on 1 is Kyrie. KD doesn't need to force isolations anymore. He should be having off ball actions run for him to get him easy shots.

KD can go one on one but he needs to limit his dribbling as much as possible beacause he turns the ball over way too much. You have Irving and Simmons, there is no need for him to handle the ball too much. KD should go more in the post where he can shoot easily over anybody and he needs to come off screens to get some open shots.

I question Durant basketball IQ , as great player as he is , his over dribbling and turnovers in Celtics series was atrocious, he doesn’t recognize that it’s his weak spot and there is no one from coaching stuff who have enough balls to tell him that

Durant shouldn’t be in position to hold on to the ball for more than 3 seconds ( otherwise it’s either turnover or bad shot , yes he makes lots of those but it’s still a bad shot ) in traffic dribbling he is just turnover machine

Overall game was exciting, but hey it’s just a preseason game , I’m not convinced yet , let’s see what this boys have when it matter’s

[TheNetsFan]

I lost my phone ugh

I have so much to say about last night. They looked fantastic on both ends. Once Ben feels like he belongs again will unlock this team.


We need a stretch five like we had with Justin Hamilton. That’s what looks glaringly missing off the bench.

we might have to wait til the buyout market. Til then we're probably running Sharpe/Morris/Yuta in the 2nd unit as bigs.

If TJ Warren is 80% of his former self, our bench is going to be nuts. And Nash has Simmons running the 2nd unit group if last night is any evidence.

I think 80% is very wishful thinking. He hasn't played in 2 years. He may eventually get back to 80%, but I can't imagine that he'll get there this year.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Look at this quote from Blake Griffin on the Celtics

"The intensity level and maturity level of this group is off the charts. Every day when we get to work, it’s intense … These guys are locked in and nobody has to tell us to be locked in, and that's refreshing."

KD and Kyrie should be embarrassed.

Seriously, for Blake to say this says all that I need to know about both of them. Tatum and Brown are younger than they are and 1000x more mature as adults and men, there's a reason why they have gone farther as a duo than KD and Kyrie ever will.

I'm honestly ready to check out on this team and preseason isn't even over. Nash is terrible, and we have no leaders.

Actions speak louder than words and Harden got the hell out of here once he had a good look into the inner workings of Netland, even at the cost of possibly $100m guaranteed. We are like the anti-Spurs, no culture, no system, no leadership, just KD and Kyrie hooping like they're on the playground. I'm sure Ben will be just the one to speak up against it though

Having said that, **** Harden

Who’s Harden ?

[ArksNetsSince99]

Simmons problems it’s 99% mental

Version 1 , Simmons feels as part of the team , having support from Durant Kai and other vets it’s crucial , if he feels good he will surprise all of us with his great season

Version 2 , he feels sidetracked, not on the same page , he won’t improve , he might even quit halfway the season

[gigantes]

Yeah this was the best I've seen us defend Giannis, the length of our team was definitely a factor. He's always going to get his but making him work for it goes a long way.

I think Royce should start. We look better with Simmons/Kyrie/Royce/Durant/Claxton. Harris just doesn't seem like he can stay healthy.

Marks may have finally gotten the roster make up right. If the guys stick to playing team basketball the sky is the limit. Having Ben as the primary facilitator helps with that. Even KD was moving the ball.

Honestly the only guy I want going 1 on 1 is Kyrie. KD doesn't need to force isolations anymore. He should be having off ball actions run for him to get him easy shots.

KD can go one on one but he needs to limit his dribbling as much as possible beacause he turns the ball over way too much. You have Irving and Simmons, there is no need for him to handle the ball too much. KD should go more in the post where he can shoot easily over anybody and he needs to come off screens to get some open shots.

I question Durant basketball IQ , as great player as he is , his over dribbling and turnovers in Celtics series was atrocious, he doesn’t recognize that it’s his weak spot and there is no one from coaching stuff who have enough balls to tell him that

Durant shouldn’t be in position to hold on to the ball for more than 3 seconds ( otherwise it’s either turnover or bad shot , yes he makes lots of those but it’s still a bad shot ) in traffic dribbling he is just turnover machine

Overall game was exciting, but hey it’s just a preseason game , I’m not convinced yet , let’s see what this boys have when it matter’s

To me it's not so much about poor BBIQ or ball-handling on Durant's part, and moreso about the offense being structured around KI & KD as the 'PG' and 'point-forward.'

Any playoff defense should be able to feast on the fact that they're both flawed at those positions, with the Nets lacking a bonafide, quality PG. And the Celtics did just that... unsurprisingly as the top defense in the league last season.

Durant to me basically passed the Peter Principle, meaning that even the most awesomely talented individuals can become promoted enough times until they become incompetent in one way or another.

[MrDollarBills]

Simmons problems it’s 99% mental

Version 1 , Simmons feels as part of the team , having support from Durant Kai and other vets it’s crucial , if he feels good he will surprise all of us with his great season

Version 2 , he feels sidetracked, not on the same page , he won’t improve , he might even quit halfway the season

One thing I'll give KD and Kyrie is that they've been pretty positive about Ben overall when you hear them talk about him, with KD pushing Ben to attack and not worry about missing shots, and honestly last night we saw some good chemistry between the 3 of them.

[Gooner]

Yeah this was the best I've seen us defend Giannis, the length of our team was definitely a factor. He's always going to get his but making him work for it goes a long way.

I think Royce should start. We look better with Simmons/Kyrie/Royce/Durant/Claxton. Harris just doesn't seem like he can stay healthy.

Marks may have finally gotten the roster make up right. If the guys stick to playing team basketball the sky is the limit. Having Ben as the primary facilitator helps with that. Even KD was moving the ball.

Honestly the only guy I want going 1 on 1 is Kyrie. KD doesn't need to force isolations anymore. He should be having off ball actions run for him to get him easy shots.

KD can go one on one but he needs to limit his dribbling as much as possible beacause he turns the ball over way too much. You have Irving and Simmons, there is no need for him to handle the ball too much. KD should go more in the post where he can shoot easily over anybody and he needs to come off screens to get some open shots.

I question Durant basketball IQ , as great player as he is , his over dribbling and turnovers in Celtics series was atrocious, he doesn’t recognize that it’s his weak spot and there is no one from coaching stuff who have enough balls to tell him that

Durant shouldn’t be in position to hold on to the ball for more than 3 seconds ( otherwise it’s either turnover or bad shot , yes he makes lots of those but it’s still a bad shot ) in traffic dribbling he is just turnover machine

Overall game was exciting, but hey it’s just a preseason game , I’m not convinced yet , let’s see what this boys have when it matter’s

His turnovers hurt the team more than missed shots in Boston series and it exposed his flaws as a playmaker when he faces an agressive defense. That's why he shouldn't try to create too much anymore. He will have some pick and rolls, but his main focus should be on scoring.

[MrDollarBills]

KD can go one on one but he needs to limit his dribbling as much as possible beacause he turns the ball over way too much. You have Irving and Simmons, there is no need for him to handle the ball too much. KD should go more in the post where he can shoot easily over anybody and he needs to come off screens to get some open shots.

I question Durant basketball IQ , as great player as he is , his over dribbling and turnovers in Celtics series was atrocious, he doesn’t recognize that it’s his weak spot and there is no one from coaching stuff who have enough balls to tell him that

Durant shouldn’t be in position to hold on to the ball for more than 3 seconds ( otherwise it’s either turnover or bad shot , yes he makes lots of those but it’s still a bad shot ) in traffic dribbling he is just turnover machine

Overall game was exciting, but hey it’s just a preseason game , I’m not convinced yet , let’s see what this boys have when it matter’s

His turnovers hurt the team more than missed shots in Boston series and it exposed his flaws as a playmaker when he faces an agressive defense. That's why he shouldn't try to create too much anymore. He will have some pick and rolls, but his main focus should be on scoring.

Durant needs to be catching the ball on the block, or running off screens for catch and shoot threes. All that 1 on 1 dribbling has to go.

[Paradise]

I question Durant basketball IQ , as great player as he is , his over dribbling and turnovers in Celtics series was atrocious, he doesn’t recognize that it’s his weak spot and there is no one from coaching stuff who have enough balls to tell him that

Durant shouldn’t be in position to hold on to the ball for more than 3 seconds ( otherwise it’s either turnover or bad shot , yes he makes lots of those but it’s still a bad shot ) in traffic dribbling he is just turnover machine

Overall game was exciting, but hey it’s just a preseason game , I’m not convinced yet , let’s see what this boys have when it matter’s

His turnovers hurt the team more than missed shots in Boston series and it exposed his flaws as a playmaker when he faces an agressive defense. That's why he shouldn't try to create too much anymore. He will have some pick and rolls, but his main focus should be on scoring.

Durant needs to be catching the ball on the block, or running off screens for catch and shoot threes. All that 1 on 1 dribbling has to go.

That will always be apart of his game. It’s a rhythm shot.

[MrDollarBills]

His turnovers hurt the team more than missed shots in Boston series and it exposed his flaws as a playmaker when he faces an agressive defense. That's why he shouldn't try to create too much anymore. He will have some pick and rolls, but his main focus should be on scoring.

Durant needs to be catching the ball on the block, or running off screens for catch and shoot threes. All that 1 on 1 dribbling has to go.

That will always be apart of his game. It’s a rhythm shot.

I have no problem with the dribble pull up, it's when he tries to do more he ends up turning the ball over. KD has got to know that he's hurting the team when he does that.

[MGrand15]

I don't really care what KD + Kyrie do as long as we keep running offense like this:

Read on Twitter

All this stuff stops the defense from loading up and lets KD + Kyrie choose their spots. They're pretty good at playing in the flow of the offense when the system + spacing is right.

[Paradise]

Wow. Minnesota hired the Denver PA announcer too? It’s strange enough hearing Grady on the Wolves broadcast.

[MrDollarBills]

That outlet pass by Ben to Kyrie was beautiful.

[Paradise]

Philly fans punching the air watching Ben inbound a fast break layup pass from full court LMAOO

[GTR11]

Like the fact it's wide open looks and and layups after cuts.

[MrDollarBills]

Royce has got to hit those corner threes.

Our defense is filthy

[MrDollarBills]

Like the fact it's wide open looks and and layups after cuts.

Actual modern basketball

[MrDollarBills]

Simmons, O'Neale, Claxton and KD make our defense lethal.