The Nets will be big underdogs to the Cavaliers in Friday’s home opener. They’ll be hard-pressed to play worse than in Wednesday’s season opener.
“We definitely need to have a sense of urgency and figure out our identity. So we’ve got to figure that out as a team,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “It’s the first game, can’t overreact, but at the same time, we saw some glaring problems individually and collectively. So we’ve got to figure out how to get better, watch the film and be better Friday, for sure.”
Being better than they were in the opener is a low bar. The Nets didn’t defend. They didn’t stick together. They didn’t get back in transition. And they didn’t get production from Porter and Cam Thomas, who combined for 27 points on 7-of-24 shooting and a minus-38 rating.
That was in a 136-117 humbling in Charlotte at the hands of a Hornets team that went 19-63 last season.
Next up, the Nets are facing a Cavaliers squad that had the East’s best record last season and has every reason to be motivated—between an opening loss to the Knicks and coach Kenny Atkinson having been unceremoniously fired by the Nets five years ago.
“Watch the film, learn from it,” said Nic Claxton. “Obviously, it wasn’t a good performance, but it’s no need to panic.”
There’s no need to panic because tanking is the plan. Building bad habits isn’t.
The Nets’ defense was in abysmal disarray. They didn’t defend at the point of attack or in transition and were outscored 23-5 on the fast break, including an 18-0 deficit in the first half.
“We’ve just got to execute better from top to bottom, all five guys on the court, the bench, our energy,” Claxton added. “We just all have to be better, for real. It starts on the defensive end. Our energy just has to be better. And when we face adversity, we all have to be better—everybody.”
Frankly, nobody should be surprised at the opening loss. With five rookies, including three teenage point guards, the Nets are bound to struggle.
But while the score wasn’t shocking, the ease with which they let go of the rope was.
When adversity hit, the Nets abandoned the game plan on both ends of the court.
“We had a game plan where we had to do things in a certain way. [We were outscored] in fast-break points, we didn’t defend the rim, we couldn’t defend the 3-point line,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “So all those things that go with KYP.”
In NBA parlance, that’s “know your personnel,” the basis of any game plan. And it’s something at which the Nets failed miserably.
“We were just doing things with no purpose, just running around, running around. And you run around hard, but you’ve gotta know exactly what the call is, what your positioning is,” Fernández said. “So it’s exciting because, definitely, we can be better. And that’s the goal: show up the next day and next game and be better.”
The Nets had better be better Friday because the opposing personnel will be. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are a step up in competition and present a stiff test.
Even the Nets’ rookies know they must do a better job at KYP.
“There was a lot of stuff that we’ve been talking through… that we thought were the problems, and this is something we can fix, such as being louder, talking to each other, helping each other whether it’s offense or defense or the bench bringing positive energy,” said Egor Dëmin, the Nets’ lottery pick in the 2025 draft.
“We need to get better at knowing personnel and knowing who you’re closing out, rather than the way you’re closing the guys out, things like this. And get back, just protect the rim and protect the 3s, trying to force them to take shots we want them to take.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/sports/nets-look-to-clean-up-sloppy-defense-for-home-opener-against-cavaliers/