3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets tiresome loss to Orlando Magic

This is what a rebuild looks like. It’s not pretty.

The court and the jerseys were the only things that changed for the Brooklyn Nets from game No. 20 to game No. 21. Not their opponent. Not the result.

Brooklyn’s record following reintroduction of their KAWS court City Edition Uniforms is officially 0-1, as the Nets lost to the Orlando Magic again at home Sunday by a 100-92 score.

The formula to get there did include some new tidbits, however. Dennis Schröder returned but struggled with his shot until late. Nic Claxton looked more spry, getting his first start in a week, before an early-than-desired exit due to some extracurriculars’. Still, the injury-laden Brooklyns even stuck around this time to make it game down the stretch.

By all accounts, they battled (the Magic and the refs), but didn’t have the firepower to get it done against one of the league’s best. Let’s get into it.

Guys are listening to Jordi

It was difficult to get an answer out of Jordi Fernández Friday night where he didn’t allude to his team’s turnover issues following Brooklyn’s previous loss to the Magic. His concern was warranted, as the Nets gave up the rock 20 times leading to 34 points for the Magic.

Today’s message, to no surprise, was to improve that fraction of the game and there’s little-to-no doubt it was received. Brooklyn gave it up 17 times today leading to 33 points. That’s only a marginal improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. So there!

The heavy lifting in terms of a turnaround came on the other side of the turnover battle, where the Nets forced Orlando into 22 giveaways leading to a season-high 35 points off turnovers. The lead bandits for Brooklyn Keon Johnson, Ziaire Williams, and Claxton, who all finished with two steals.

“I feel like that’s the nature of our team’s DNA,” said Johnson postgame. “We try to play physical, fast, and just turn people over. So I feel like that’s just a testament to one, our coaching staff, and everyone in our locker room as well.”

Although it wasn’t enough to push the team across the finish line as victors, it’s more points for Jordi Fernández at the head coaching helm. Nothing he says, not his “non-negotiables” for the season nor his game to game adjustments fall on deaf ears. The ghosts of Brooklyn’s head coaching past likely cannot say the same.

Giving Grit is More Fun than Opposing it

Picking guys up at full court, bringing suffocating ball pressure to the table, and with a rare willingness to share the ball in this star-focused league. Sound familiar? The Orlando Magic are cut from the same cloth as the Brooklyn Nets. That’s why they were able to beat them this afternoon — even with the Nets making a habit out of upsetting playoff-contending teams lately.

When you’re playing a group without the same tenacity as Brooklyn, such as the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, or the Atlanta Hawks, the Nets have proven they’ll always have a puncher’s chance. Heck, they were even able to put two of those three teams on the mat. The tenacity, or dare I say “grit,” makes up for any lack of talent.

But against Orlando, if that advantage isn’t matched, it’s at least nerfed. Although it was the Nets who won the turnovers battle today, Orlando still gave the Nets a good run in that and all the other subsections of the hustle department. They generated 17 points on the break to Brooklyn’s 14. They pulled down 14 offensive boards to Brooklyn’s eight.

The aforementioned factors that don’t show up in the box score, such as prompt closeouts and timely blitzes, were also reciprocated by the Magic today. The 50/50 balls seemed to go 55/45 in favor of the visitors too.

This a flaw, if even that, the Nets signed up for it to start the season. If you’re going to beat them, you’re going to have to hustle with them. The Magic were simply willing to do that in back-to-back games.

Size Matters

While a large chunk of Orlando’s rebounding advantage today, a daunting 52-33 margin, can be attributed to their previously mentioned effort in pursuing the basketball, the game’s oldest advantage did as well.

Equipped with Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr., and Goga Bitadze (who seems to have taken up the “Net killer” mantle from Nikola Vucevic,) the Magic can cover the court like a comforter on a bed. They represent one of the game’s biggest teams, both in terms of weight on the block, verticality, and reach.

With the Nets missing Day’Ron Sharpe and eventually Ben Simmons today, that made it difficult for them both on the boards and all other facets of the game that favor the bigger guy.

Pregame, Fernández said that Sharpe is close to returning and could even play as early as tomorrow vs the Chicago Bulls. Nonetheless, expect similar issues to continue for Brooklyn as a smaller team with Simmons potentially taking his spot on the injury report.