The Brooklyn Nets dropped their third straight NBA Summer League, losing to the New York Knicks, 97-93. In another tight battle, the Nets are now 0-3 in Summer League play despite displaying multiple first-round picks and NBA talent in these games.
Brooklyn's roster heading into Las Vegas had a lot of promise. Despite Drake Powell, the No. 22 pick, being out due to a knee injury, the Nets were still coming in with four first-round picks, as well as some talent with solid potential.
Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf highlighted the rookies, along with recent pickup Grant Nelson, who went undrafted. Brooklyn also had some experienced talent taking the floor, including Drew Timme, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Tyson Etienne.
Unfortunately, the talent hasn't translated to wins, and the losses have been relatively ugly thus far. The Nets have dropped games to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, and now the Knicks. Brooklyn has given up an average of 96.3 points, while putting up just 90 per game.
There have been some bright spots, however. Traore impressed in his Summer League debut with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Wolf had a defensive masterclass against the Wizards. The seven-footer recorded 10 rebounds, three steals, and four blocks. In that game, Demin also has a solid shooting night, knocking down four of 10 three-pointers.
The 0-3 record may cause concern on the surface for Nets fans, but the truth is, NBA Summer League is never a clear-cut indicator of how a player will perform. Plenty of eventual draft busts have had impressive stints in Las Vegas, only to disappoint later on, and vice versa.
What should excite fans is the improvements the rookies are making. Each first-round pick (excluding Powell) has looked more comfortable as the games have gone on. Although Demin and Wolf didn't play against New York, Traore and Saraf combined for 13 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Not great efficiency by any means, but a combined 21 shot attempts shows aggression.
Don't read too much into NBA Summer League. Brooklyn would need to have performed much worse to cause actual concern. In reality, this team is in a heavy rebuild and isn't expected to win much next season. Nets fans should solely focus on the progress of each rookie.
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