Brooklyn Nets practice following feel-good victory, Cam Thomas ruled out through All-Star break

Despite the 15-33 record for Brooklyn and yet more injury news, players re still positive inside HSS.

“It’s a great, great feeling. I mean, we really didn’t have a losing spirit about us, it was just something that we had to mentally overcome, just a mental barrier for the team, and so for everybody to break through that together, it feels good.”

That’s Keon Johnson discussing his team’s 104-83 victory on Wednesday night over the Charlotte Hornets, so while you may have (justifiably) been rooting for the Brooklyn Nets to lose in pursuit of better NBA Draft Lottery odds, you were rooting against these charming smiles!

“Man, it’s high spirits every day, but it’s also competitive at the same time, every time we step on the court,” said Johnson. “I mean, it’s very different because — I mean, I’ve been around teams and organizations where every day is kind of different, but here, we attack every day the same way. We try and get better every time we step on the court here.”

That may not make watching the 15-33 Nets, still three wins clear of top-three lotto odds, any easier, but it does shine through in their play. They lose games because they don’t have the offensive talent to compete, especially with a litany of injuries. Since January 1, their 103.8 offensive rating (filtering out garbage time thanks to Cleaning the Glass) is just 0.2 points above the league’s worst mark.

Wednesday’s win vs. the Hornets showed what playing hard can do, as Charlotte wasn’t just terrible without LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, and more, but lethargic. Tim Capstraw, filling in on YES Network’s television broadcast, occasionally thanked the hosts for their generous transition defense.

No matter how poor the lineups Jordi Fernández has had to roll out this season, that’s not the Nets, and you can still feel high spirits in HSS Training Center, where the Nets held practice on Friday afternoon.

Keon Johnson explained: “Shoot, it’s coach Jordi, the coaching staff. They do a great job of bringing the energy because, I mean, sometimes us players, we come in low on energy, but coaches, they bring it every day. It kind of makes us as players step it up too.”

Brooklyn’s head coach, per usual, was a bit more pragmatic in his explanation for Wednesday’s win: “I thought that our focus for 48 minutes was there and we played hard. So, it’s not just playing hard at times, it’s playing hard but with this discipline and purpose. So that’s why we need that focus, and we had it the other day … losing games in a row, it is what it is. We were not — I don’t think we were ever frustrated, we went and competed at every game.”

And so, even though it might nerve-wrack some Nets fans, Brooklyn will continue to compete. That includes Nic Claxton, who played his most forceful game of the season in Charlotte, blocking six shots…

“I even spoke to Jordi, I want to be impactful on the defensive side of the ball,” said Clax of his performance. “And that’s just my challenge, figuring out ways to do that with our defense and just having that consistency on that side of the ball especially.”

Of course, it’s been a tough year for Brooklyn’s $100 million starting center; he again emphasized “not losing my marbles” as crucial to keeping the team’s high spirits going. (Claxton leads the NBA with three ejections this season.)

But any disappointment he shows continues to be directed toward himself. He acknowledged that blitzing so many pick-and-rolls, being further away from the basket (and not switching) than he has in his career has been “interesting,” declining to elaborate, but said that Jordi Fernández has “great” as a rookie head coach.

“Obviously it isn’t easy for him, either. We were, you could say, overachieving at the beginning of the year, then trades happened, things happened, it’s all part of the business. It hasn’t necessarily been easy for any of us, but we’re all figuring it out and and we’re all figuring it out together.”

Fernández was similarly complimentary of the 2019 second-round pick: “I think he’s doing what he’s doing and he’s doing a great job. I think that right now, his pick-and-roll defense is what we want him to be: aggressive, using his length and disrupting the basketball. And same thing when he’s the low man or he’s protecting the rim, his communication in the last game was amazing.”

Does this signal a return to real production for Nic Claxton, or is it a blip on the radar against a bad team?

The beauty of a tanking season: Both answers are okay.

---

During Friday’s practice, Brooklyn released a lengthy injury update on three absent players, two of whom will be out through the All-Star break.

Firstly, Cam Thomas had another MRI on his left hamstring this week that revealed “appropriate healing,” per the team, who added: “He will continue to progress with individual on-court workouts and is expected to return shortly after the All-Star break.”

Said Jordi Fernández of his leading scorer: “We’re happy that everything is progressing the right way, and right now, it’s a matter of time and being patient and keep working hard and he’s doing it.”

Brooklyn plays on February 12, and then their next game is on February 20 following the break, at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Should Thomas return for that one, he’ll have missed 34 games this season to that left hammy, a tough blow for the 23 year old in a contract year.

Noah Clowney will also be out through the All-Star break, though the Nets did not add if he is also be expected back soon thereafter. For the second time this season, Clowney sprained ankle in a game against the Sacramento Kings, and this one did not look good…

Lastly, Cam Johnson has been officially listed as day-to-day with his own ankle sprain, though he will miss Brooklyn’s next game.

“He was in practice with his teammates, making sure he knew everything we’re doing,” said Fernández. “He was not part of practice. Day-to-day, he’s out for tomorrow, and then we’ll see after that.”

Of course, it is possible Johnson has played his last game for Brooklyn, given that the trade deadline now within the week. Stay or go, let’s get this over with already.

Brooklyn’s chance to start a winning streak comes on Saturday evening, an away date with the Houston Rockets. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.