Before heading to San Diego for the second half of training camp, the Nets on Thursday held what Cam Johnson called a “shaky” scrimmage to simulate a real game six days before their first preseason game against the Clippers. We held what we called.
The teams were split into two, one led by assistant coach Steve Hetzel and the other led by fellow assistant coach Juwan Howard, with each team having an analyst and an athletic trainer for three 12-minute periods. Placed.
“Oh, it was so much fun,” Zyre Williams said after practice at the HSS Training Center. “We haven't played like that in a real environment in months. …Everyone was jumping around, talking smack, everything was great.”
“People were on the ground, diving for the ball, pushing each other. There were some elbows, knees, trips, but it was good,” Johnson said.
Williams said he was placed on a team with Ben Simmons, Trendon Watford, Amari Bailey, Dayron Sharpe, Killian Hayes and Johnson. But according to Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, the team's placement meant nothing. This grouping did not indicate starters, bench, or rotation players. That will start to become more noticeable in San Diego from Saturday into Monday.
After two days of controlled contact with stop-and-go play scenarios, it was the Nets' first day that felt like a game.
The scrimmage ended in a tie due to Fernandes' decision, but the reaction from the players was not positive.
“We didn't like it…” Johnson said. “Neither team liked it.”
Fernandez, who sat in the middle of it all, was encouraged by what he saw from the players, especially the level of conditioning from those heading to San Diego, which is a big focus for the coach.
“It was very competitive,” Fernandez said. “We scrimmaged three quarters of the time and our players led us to the win. The communication on the court, the effort to make winning plays. It was a very close game, very competitive, and that's what we is what I want to see. [We’ll] Let's use film tomorrow and spend the day without touching. Because I worked really hard for three days. …I'm happy with how things are going. ”
