NEW YORK — Step 1 for the new-look Nets? Start speaking the same language.
In Mikal Bridges’ first game as a Nets starter after Kevin Durant’s trade to the Phoenix Suns, he accidentally called a play the Suns used to run with he and Cam Johnson.
Something similar happened in Spencer Dinwiddie’s first game back in Brooklyn: He and Dorian Finney-Smith, both acquired in the Kyrie Irving trade to the Mavericks, spoke using terminology they used in Dallas.
In the NBA, many teams run the same plays but assign them different names. Streamlining the language used in Brooklyn is priority No. 1 as the Nets enter the All-Star break — a weeklong period where teams are prohibited from practicing by NBA law.
“There are a few things as far as really getting terminology down and getting that to guys over the break just to make sure that they understand that. A little bit of sending our playbook with them also,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said ahead of tip-off against the Heat on Wednesday. “We’ve been able to collect some video with the footage of these guys a little bit and what we want to run, so that piece of it also.”
It’s no surprise the Nets are lacking chemistry after a pair of blockbuster trades altered the foundation upon which the franchise was built.
Starting center Nic Claxton is the only remaining starter from the Seven-Eleven Nets. Royce O’Neale and Joe Harris have been moved to the bench, and Vaughn inserted all four newcomers — Bridges, Johnson, Finney-Smith and Dinwiddie — into the starting lineup the moment they each cleared physicals and became eligible to play.
The Nets were once an offensive juggernaut with holes in their defensive coverages. With both Durant and Irving out, they must now lean on what’s become a promising defense in Brooklyn. Whether or not the Nets will be able to generate enough offense could dictate their success in the second half of the season.
“I think we have a group of guys who really enjoy playing defense so there’s nothing wrong with that. We’ll lean into that let that be our staple on a nightly basis that gives you a chance to win,” Vaughn said. “Then we’ll just improve on the offensive end of the floor. We’re really starting to hone in hopefully on different groups and what plays we run with different groups and what different lineups looks like. I think there’s definitely some growth on the offensive end of the floor that I’m looking for too.”
Opposing teams know the Nets are still figuring things out. It’s a process that could drag into the offseason with so many moving parts on a revamped roster.
That doesn’t mean opponents view the Nets as food. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Brooklyn is still a threat to win on a nightly basis even without the star power because the roster has become more versatile at almost every position.
“I’ve watched them. They have hard competing guys. And they have two-way players. They have a lot of length at the wing positions. They can do some unique things defensively,” Spoelstra said pregame on Wednesday. “I think they’re set up to be a really good defensive team. You cannot sleepwalk on this group for sure at all. You know, we’ve been in that situation before. Real hard competing teams, they’re tough teams to play against. I hope we’re viewed as one of those as well.”
