The Nets pulled off an improbable come back at Madison Square Garden last night that had “Brooooklllynnn” chants reigning down through the arena. They matched their 28-point comeback against the Kings a few seasons ago, and while this one did not have the playoff implications of that game, this victory felt pretty sweet for a Brooklyn squad that has been battling for wins through injury. From watching the game last night, there were a few takeaways to be had.
Cam Thomas is the future (and the now?)
Cam Thomas put on an absolute show in the 4th quarter last night, totaling 17 of his 21 points in the period, and putting an exclamation mark on his performance with a dagger three to cap off the comeback. This was a glimpse into just how good the former LSU Tiger could be in the NBA. While the Nets are trying to win now, when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving eventually leave, Thomas is showing that he can be the next star to carry the torch. In the meantime, Thomas is looking like he can be an excellent bench piece on a championship team that can take over a game at any moment.
What is James Johnson’s role going to look like?
It really is hard to pinpoint how good James Johnson is. For a veteran, he is pretty inconsistent, but sometimes that can be a good thing. Your average power forward cannot do this. https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=33307453&ex_cid=espnapi_internal
Johnson has been playing a bit of a point forward role recently, which gives defenses new looks. Sometimes, it seems as though he forgets his role and tries to do too much, leading to unnecessary turnovers and erratic shots. However, when the Nets get healthy, if Johnson can find and stick to his role, I see no reason that he cannot provide a similar spark to what Jeff Green or Blake Griffin offered in the playoffs last season.
The Nets are back to their gritty ways
The modern Brooklyn Nets were built on playing hard. The 2018-19 Nets had some young talent, including D’Angelo Russell, Caris Levert, and Jarrett Allen, but what made them really hard to play against was their grittiness. They gave a much more talented 76ers team a tough series in the playoffs that season, and those teams were ultimately what got Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to sign in Brooklyn. Since then, they have become a more star-driven team, but have still maintained their attitude, as Patty Mills referred to the role players as the “Blue-collar boys”. In recent times, the effort seemingly has not been there, but last night it returned in spades with Mills saving a possession in the last 30 seconds as evidence of their will to get to the finishing line. Andre Drummond, one of the new additions, looks like he will fit in just fine, grabbing 19 rebounds and providing a necessary big body down low. Bruce Brown’s return to form cannot be understated either. If the Nets can combine their star power with the tenacity they played with in the second half last night at a consistent level moving forward, this team can really start to hit its stride.
Yes, last night was only one game and the Knicks have become notorious for blowing leads, but the energy around this team feels different since the James Harden trade. Seth Curry and Andre Drummond look like great fits, the role players are returning to form, and Cam Thomas is developing at a rapid rate. Look out for Brooklyn to maintain their momentum going into the All-Star break.
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