Nets’ Balanced Attack Offers Glimpse of Growth Despite Loss

Due to seven players sitting out of yesterday afternoon's 120-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Brooklyn Nets relied on their young core—and the results were encouraging.

While no Net scored more than 14 points, nearly every player who saw the floor tallied double-digits in the scoring column outside of Tyson Etienne (seven points, four rebounds). Reece Beekman—acquired in December from the Golden State Warriors as part of the Dennis Schroder trade—led the way with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting. In his first career start, Beekman also dished out five assists and grabbed three steals, proving his versatility on both ends of the court.

“First, it’s a blessing for this to be my first year and have a start in the NBA; that doesn’t happen a lot. So I’m just blessed to be in this opportunity,” Beekman said postgame via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “But it just took time to settle in [Sunday]. It’s a fast-paced game. I’m still learning in my first year. So, just learning different spots on the court, learning where to be effective and just try to make a mark on both ends of floor.” 

Dariq Whitehead was solid off the bench—albeit not as efficient as he's proven to be of late—knocking down three of his eight attempts from beyond the arc en route to a 13-point, four-rebound effort. However, Whitehead wasn't the lone 2023 NBA Draft selection to contribute offensively.

Maxwell Lewis—brought over to Brooklyn in December's Dorian Finney-Smith deal with the Los Angeles Lakers—was likely the Nets' most methodical scorer in the Eastern Conference tilt. He scored 13 points on a highly efficient 6-of-12 from the floor, generating the best shooting percentage out of anyone not named Trendon Watford (13 points, 3-of-5 shooting, 7-of-10 from the free throw line).

While Toronto's frontcourt was heavily compromised due to Jakob Poeltl receiving the night off, Drew Timme also made his first career start in place of both Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe—neither of whom was active. Timme turned in a strong performance, notching 13 points and seven rebounds, proving himself as a capable inside presence in just his fifth game since signing a two-year contract with the Nets.

Brooklyn and its young core return to the Barclays Center tomorrow against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. EST.