Brooklyn Nets Game Recap: Brooklyn Opens Preseason At Home!

Well, Brooklyn Nets fans, I have some good news and some bad news to share:

The good news is… the Brooklyn Nets started their exhibition season!

The bad news is… the Brooklyn Nets started their exhibition season!

Outside of the Barclays Center, you could see plenty of promotion of Brooklyn’s sports team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Nets. It was the New York Islanders, the NHL team. Based on the way the Nets played in their first preseason game, the Barclays Center marketing team may know something that we don’t.

The Brooklyn Nets started their preseason against a team that is well known to current Nets player Bojan Bogdanovic, Fenerbahce Ulker. This team from Turkey turned out to be rude guests in the Barclays Center by defeating the Nets 101-96. This turned out to be the second victory for this Turkish squad in four attempts against NBA competition. If this is what the Nets’ future holds, the fans are going to have to hold on to the fact that the Brooklyn franchise still have cool uniforms. Last year, the Nets blew out Macabbi Tel Aviv. What’s even more troubling (or embarrassing), it seemed that the crowd was behind Fenerbache during the game.

To say the Brooklyn Nets had issues on the offensive end is a gross understatement. Brooklyn shot a measly 38% from the field while dishing out only 16 assists for the entire game. Fenerbahce Ulker, on the other hand, dished out 26 assists. The Nets turned the ball over a sloppy 19 times. Not a good look for a NBA team that were favorites going into this game.

The defense, which is what the Nets need to establish early in the season, was sluggish and sloppy. Fenerbahce lit up the Nets from behind the arc to the tune of 11-21 from the land of three. Even the shots they missed seemed to be open shots. Fenerbahce seemed to be running offense drills at times, getting whatever shot they wanted.

Here’s what Joe Johnson said about the defense:

“I thought we had a lot of great plays, but the thing that hurt most was the defense,” Johnson said. “We had just so many breakdowns defensively that we were all in trouble, whether it was us as guards getting broken down and being in bad situations, or whether it was not getting up on the pick and roll. It was making our rotations longer and they were knocking down shots.”

To make a long quote short: The Brooklyn Nets could not stop anyone on Monday night.

Fenerbahce had its largest lead of the game in the third quarter leading 82-72. They were led by former NBA player, Jan Veseley, with 18 points, while Luigi Datome finished with 16 points.

The Nets tried to make a comeback in the end trailing by three points with seven seconds remaining but Rondae Hollis Jefferson blew a layup that shut the door for the visitors.

After the game, Lionel Hollins saw the game as it was… the first game of the preseason.

“We fought, we battled, we played hard, but we can’t turn the ball over 19 times and give up 20 second chance points,” Hollins said. “We also missed 19 shots in the paint, so this is a good barometer and baseline to start from. We’ll go look at film to get back to work and move forward.”

Lionel Hollins would not discuss any of his players’ performance on the court on Monday night. No problem! That’s why we’re Brooklyn’s Finest, we’ll take up the slack for him.

Thomas Robinson:

Put the kiddies to bed, because Thomas Robinson is a grown man! I really can’t figure out why this guy can’t stick on an NBA team. Robinson grabbed 16 rebounds (nine on the offensive side) and scored 12 points in only 26 minutes. This is “Comeback Player of the Year” numbers, folks. His energy is just what the doctor ordered for the Brooklyn Nets front office. He reminds me of Reggie Evans, who played for the Nets in the past; a guy that is going to take full advantage of his opportunities on the floor and contribute. Joe Johnson is my favorite player, but this guy could take his place real soon.

Brook Lopez:

I have some good news and some bad news: The good news is that no one in the NBA can stop this guy down low. He is going to command double teams on a nightly basis. That means the guards are going to have to learn how to hit a jump shot. On Monday night, outside of Wayne Ellington (who we’ll get to later), they hadn’t figured that out yet. Lopez had 18 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots. Many of his shots rolled out however. The bad news is, Lopez knocked down a three point shot. Why is that bad? Look for it throughout the season if he starts believing in it. Ever heard of fool’s gold? That three point shot is it.

Jarrett Jack:

If you are a fan of Jarrett Jack, get ready for a ton of debates all season long. The man drives me nuts on the basketball floor, even as far back as Georgia Tech. Here’s why: Jack scored 11 points with one assist. This is the Brooklyn Nets’ starting point guard, people. If he keeps this up, you’ll be begging for Deron Williams by the All-Star Break!

Joe Johnson:

Joe ‘Cool’ was just that… cool. He took four shots and scored five points. Look, Nets fans, we need him on October 28th. As long as he’s walking upright, he’ll be all right.

Thaddeus Young:

Typical game from Young:plays strong here and there but disappears as well. Young started slowly but finished strong in the second half. If the Nets are going to be successful, Young is going to have to be engaged for 48 minutes. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Bojan Bogdanovic:

I’m sure that he wanted to show his former team what they were missing. If Monday night was any indication… not much. Four shots. Four misses. Struggles to finish at the rim. Three points. This is your starting two guard, Nets fans. You heard it here first. The Nets need to start Wayne Ellington!

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson:

Lionel Hollins is going to love this guy. He was one of the few players on the Nets squad engaged on the defensive end. Offensively, he struggled a bit, but think Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in Charlotte and his importance to the Hornets. Then you’ll understand Jefferson’s importance in Brooklyn.

Wayne Ellington:

Finished with 16 points. Wayne Ellington can prove to be invaluable to the Nets and Brook Lopez’s best friend with that smooth jumper of his. He knocked his first three point shots down and did exactly what the Nets want him to do… shoot. He was the best player on the floor not named Brook Lopez or Thomas Robinson.

Brooklyn Nets injury report:

Andrea Bargnani: Left hamstring.

Markel Brown: Left oblique.

Chris McCollough: Knee rehab (out for year).

Willis Reed: Right quad.

The Brooklyn Nets travel to Detroit to play the Pistons on Thursday. Keep it locked to Brooklyn’s Finest for all of your up to date Nets news, previews and reviews.