Nets’ physicality hasn’t erased flaws as tall Bucks task awaits in home opener

The Nets played nan first 2 games of Jordi Fernandez’s tenure connected nan roadworthy against fringe playoff teams, and mislaid them both.

Now comes their toughest trial yet, Sunday’s location opener against nan champion squad they’ve faced — Giannis Antetokounmpo and nan championship-contending Bucks.

The Nets person dropped 5 consecutive against Milwaukee, who besides hit them successful nan 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. But while Antetokounmpo is still pinch Milwaukee, nan Big 3 are agelong gone from Brooklyn.

“They’ve sewage Giannis, who’s a apical 5 subordinate successful nan world. But for us, we want to do what we tin control,” Dennis Schroder said. “[I] ever opportunity it is not astir nary matchups, [it’s] astir nan team. It’s ever astir us. If we do nan correct things and we are nan aggressor, I deliberation bully things happen.

“We showed that successful 3 quarters [in Atlanta], and conscionable 1 half [in Orlando]. But we’ve sewage to put a full crippled together. And I deliberation it’s a bully opportunity to do it astatine location first game. And, of course, we sewage to get Jordi his first win, arsenic well. So we’re going to travel retired and effort to deed first.”

In some of their first 2 games this season, nan Nets sewage deed first and had to get up disconnected nan deck. They trailed 13-4 correct retired of nan gross successful Atlanta, and 9-2 successful Orlando.

The Nets were beingness successful both, and scrapped backmost to prehend third-quarter leads successful both. But nan aforesaid Achilles heels costs them successful some defeats, committing turnovers and giving distant fouls. Their hustle and physicality couldn’t flooded those flaws against nan Hawks aliases Magic, truthful they’ll decidedly request to cleanable those up Sunday.

“For us, it’s conscionable making america better,” Fernandez said. “So now we’ve gone done 2 games, and we’ve conscionable sewage to beryllium amended successful nan 3rd 1 taking attraction of nan hoops and pinch that physicality.

“So, a batch of agleam spots, shooting nan 3 astatine 38 percent, almost. We’ve conscionable sewage to sprout more. We’ve sewage to waste and acquisition immoderate of those turnovers for 3s and I deliberation we’ll beryllium OK. It’s nan opening of thing good. It’s going well, we’ve worked very well. So, we conscionable sewage to move connected to nan adjacent one.”

The Nets joined Detroit, Philadelphia, Portland and Utah astatine 0-2.

“Teams [are] adjusting to our physicality and we person to respond. When they recognize we’re picking up full-court, they put their caput down and go,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “That’s erstwhile we request to thief each other. I consciousness for illustration we’re still precocious connected that.”

Brooklyn came into nan play averaging nan astir fouls committed successful nan convention (31.5) and tied for conceding nan second-most free throws (39.5).

Combine that pinch nan third-worst assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13) and it’s easy to spot why nary magnitude of physicality and grit is going to flooded their talent deficit.

That talent spread will beryllium moreover greater against Milwaukee, truthful they can’t spend that benignant of violative disarray aliases deficiency of protect discipline.

“Just figuring retired really to travel together,” Cam Johnson said. “Figuring retired really to travel together erstwhile it gets a small tough, and benignant of getting organized connected some sides of nan shot a small amended and it will return america a agelong way.”

Fernandez has some drilled shot activity and gone pinch Schroder and Ben Simmons successful nan lineup together to thief nan passing and playmaking.

But arsenic they’ve gotten tired, their passing has go a problem, pinch 7 third-quarter turnovers successful nan opener and past 8 for 15 points successful nan 3rd Friday successful Orlando.

The Nets’ defense has mostly relied connected pressing.

But erstwhile tired legs started to show up, they sewage stagnant offensively and stopped penetrating. That led to unrecorded shot turnovers and accelerated breaks going nan different way.

The Bucks thrive connected conscionable that.

“Every clip we don’t touch nan paint, thing bully happens,” Schroder said. “We’re going to watch movie and past we’re going to get better.”