It was an ugly Summer League game, which is kind of like saying it was a regular Summer League game.
But the Brooklyn Nets have still yet to pull out a victory in this offseason’s Orlando Summer League, dropping a third straight contest by a score of 64-55, this one to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hornets didn’t shoot much better, but got some big shots from Troy Daniels and Aaron Harrison to close the game. The Nets earned two “Summer League” points, by winning the first and third quarters, while the Hornets took six points for winning the game, second quarter, and fourth quarter.
The Nets are now 2-16 in Summer League games since moving to Brooklyn.
Some notes:
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s jump shot, considered his big weakness at the college level, already looks a bit cleaner than it did while he was at Arizona. But it’s still a work in progress, and Hollis-Jefferson did more memorable work on the defensive end — notably nicking a pass high out of midair to start a transition opportunity and ripping a rebound out of contested airspace shortly after. He also did some impressive fourth-quarter work on 9th overall pick and big man Frank Kaminsky, who is a natural power forward. There’s a little bit of overlap between him and Markel Brown, but there should be space for both of them, particularly since Hollis-Jefferson can stretch upwards a bit more.
- Speaking of Brown, he had a scary moment at the end of the first half, when he rose for a floater and landed awkwardly, immediately grabbing at his left knee. Brown laid on the ground for over a minute before limping to the bench on his own accord, where he received further treatment from Nets trainer Tim Walsh. He returned to the game at the beginning of the second half and appeared to have no further issues, driving coast-to-coast and drawing a foul early in the third quarter.
- There’s a lot of potential in Cliff Alexander with his body & strength, but also the scourge of wildness — Alexander picked up four fouls in the first half alone and drew a third-quarter foul by barreling over a defender, a call Hornets Summer League coach Patrick Ewing took exception to. Still, with his age and upside, you have to imagine he’ll land somewhere, whether it’s in Brooklyn or elsewhere.
- Some impressive moments from Simmons, who attacked for two and-one layups in the first half and showed control off the dribble, creating space with left-to-right crossovers. Simmons played in the D-League last season for the Austin Spurs.
- Earl Clark never met a mid-range jumper he didn’t like.
- If the Nets were looking for outside shooting in Summer League, Tuesday was hardly a positive exhibition: they finished the night 19-for-66 from the field and 5-for-21 from long-range, including an uncharacteristic 3-of-4 three-point showing from Markel Brown. Ryan Boatright, who’d hit seven threes in the first two Summer League games, shot 0-for-3 from deep (0-for-4 overall).
- The Nets were without Cory Jefferson, who has been dealing with ankle issues. His status for the remainder of Summer League is still in doubt.
