The Brooklyn Nets did some positive things in their third preseason game of 2024-25 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Brooklyn showed promise beyond the arc, and second-year big man Noah Clowney learned valuable frontcourt lessons. Nevertheless, there remains plenty of work to do, and head coach Jordi Fernandez did not hold back when assessing one key area of the team's performance.
The Nets turned the ball over 20 times against Philly. Brooklyn understandably struggled to take care of the ball with one of their primary playmakers, Ben Simmons, out of the lineup. Dennis Schroder led most of the ball-handling duties but totaled a team-high five turnovers.
Jordi Fernandez did not hold back on the Nets when assessing the team's need to value their possessions better.
“Obviously adding another point guard will help us. But the reality is 20 turnovers for 31 points is unacceptable. When turnovers happen you’ve still gotta keep playing. You’ve still got to get stops. And obviously in that second half, I feel like we didn’t play as hard as we could, like we’ve done the first two games. And that’s what I told the guys, is we have higher standards on how we play and how we compete. And that’s not the performance we want to have for sure," Fernadez said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
Nets have chance to clean things up in final two preseason games
Brooklyn takes on the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in their fourth preseason contest. Despite missing the 76ers game, Ben Simmons will be back in the lineup, per Brian Lewis. His presence should help the Nets slow down their turnover rate and have more flow in the offense.
Still, the Nets must be weary of Toronto's tireless defenders. Davion Mitchell, Scottie Barnes, and Ochai Agbaji started for the Raptors in their last matchup against the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn's ability to space the floor should help keep Toronto's defenders honest and open things up more.
Brooklyn will take on their first regular season game against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 23. While Atlanta may not be known as a defensive-hounding team, the Nets' playmakers must still be on their toes.
Part of the Nets' turnover woes are simply a matter of time and practice. Once the team gets more reps with each other, they should be able to better take care of the ball and execute Jordi Fernandez's fast-paced but controlled offense.