Takeaways From Nets Home Defeat To The 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets returned home on Sunday night, looking to pick up their first win of the 2025-26 season.

They got the exact opposite result, losing in blowout fashion to the 76ers. In the 129-105 loss to Philadelphia, many of the same problems that have plagued the Nets this season reared their ugly heads again, and Brooklyn is now 0-6.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets home loss to the 76ers.

1. First Quarter Defense An Issue (Again)

It may sound like I'm beating a dead horse with this, but the Nets' first-quarter defense was awful yet again on Sunday. They gave up 40 points in the first, allowing Philadelphia to shoot 62.5% from the field and go 4-10 from behind the arc. Kelly Oubre Jr. poured in 22 first-quarter points on 9-12 shooting, as Brooklyn had no answer for the veteran wing.

These slow starts continue to be a killer for the Nets this season. Brooklyn's offense kept pace in the first, scoring 37 points of their own, but the defense is still a huge issue. Until that gets any better, it's going to be incredibly difficult for the Nets to be competitive in games.

2. The Point Guard Position Remains a Problem

Michael Porter Jr. called out the point guard position after the Nets' loss on Wednesday night, and his concerns gained more validity after what happened on Sunday. Jordi Fernandez benched rookie Ben Saraf, opting to go with Tyrese Martin instead. Martin really struggled, finishing the night with zero points and four assists in 27 minutes. Another rookie, Egor Demin, got a little run and didn't find much traction. He had five points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Brooklyn put themselves in a tough spot with that position, choosing to only roster rookie point guards, both of whom have run into some early-season troubles. That's forced Fernandez to put players like Martin into uncomfortable positions to try and get production. Sean Marks' roster construction has put the Nets behind the eight ball this season, and that's very evident with the point guard struggles.

3. Brooklyn's Stars Struggle

It's going to be hard for the Nets to win games, even when their stars are going. It's going to be near impossible to win when they don't. Cam Thomas and Porter Jr. both struggled on Sunday, combining for 46 points on 16-42 shooting from the field, with many of those points coming late in garbage time. When both of those guys don't score, it's going to be incredibly difficult for the Nets to hang around in games.

The depth on this roster is still way too inconsistent to be relied upon to carry a heavy load on nights that Thomas and Porter Jr. struggle to score. Without that depth, any game that doesn't feature a big performance from one of Thomas or Porter Jr. feels like a guaranteed loss. The list of issues for Jordi Fernandez to fix continues to grow by the day