The Brooklyn Nets showed up to play basketball on Wednesdaynight, but instead got front row seats to the Ja Morant show.
Everything started well enough with the most energetic opening to a game that the Nets have put up since they began their losing streak. Caris LeVert even looked to build on his historic performance Tuesday night.
Picking up where he left off ?? pic.twitter.com/BBrRSfkJFm
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 5, 2020
That was the highlight of the game for Brooklyn, and everything went downhill from there. The Grizzlies started to score at will while the Nets were allergic to points. Their point total — a measly 79 — is the lowest the team has been held to all season. This Memphis team is not renowned for their defensive abilities, but Wednesday was easily one of the weakest offensive showings for the Nets all season.
No matter what, the Nets could not find their stroke. Brooklyn shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from beyond-the-arc as a team. Those are some poor numbers for a team that builds its offense around the three-point shot. There was also a lack of ball movement, recording 15 total assists throughout the night.
Yes, those are a lot of bad statistics. No, that is not the end of them. Perhaps the most damning difference was in the rebounding, an area the Nets have excelled in throughout the season. This has resulted from their effort and concentration when it comes to boxing out and fighting for the 50/50 boards, but on Wednesday night, those were nowhere to be found. The Grizzlies outrebounded Brooklyn, 59-42.
The Nets were outworked, plain and simple. It was the second half of a back-to-back, but a performance of that caliber is not something expected from a playoff-caliber team.
Spencer Dinwiddie
D
The stats: 4 PTS, 1-9 FG, 0-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, 4 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 27 MIN
Spencer Dinwiddie disappeared in his Wednesday night performance.
If it goes in, it goes in pic.twitter.com/8ybL1ETZ3C
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 5, 2020
Four points in 27 minutes from your starting point guard is not conducive to winning basketball games in the NBA. Dinwiddie still distributed the ball fairly well while not turning it over, but that is about all there is to say.
Taurean Prince
C-
The stats: 15 PTS, 6-19 FG, 2-8 3PT, 1-1 FT, 5 REB, 2 TO, 25 MIN
Taurean Prince led the team in points. That should never happen.
Coming through ➡️@taureanprince | #WeGoHard pic.twitter.com/FjFP9L9C98
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 5, 2020
This is not a criticism of Prince. What is a man supposed to do when his teammates cannot hit their shots?
The problem is that Prince should never be taking 19 shots in a game. This is a clear sign that the offense broke down, and it resulted in Prince taking inefficient shots as he had no other options.
Jarrett Allen
D
The stats: 6 PTS, 3-5 FG, 0-2 FT, 9 REB, 3 TO, 29 MIN
Jarrett Allen has been on a downward trajectory since the All-Star break.
Up top to The Fro ?@SDinwiddie_25 ↗️ @_bigjayy_ pic.twitter.com/VsZiODtgDC
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 5, 2020
Wednesday was an additional data point. Allen got double the minutes of DeAndre Jordan but still did not make his presence felt. Consistency is the key that he, and the team, is still desperately searching for.