OKLAHOMA CITY — The Nets have the most future draft picks in the NBA.
Second-most team: Oklahoma City.
The Thunder's run through the league, including a 127-101 win over the Nets at Paycom Center, shows how ready the Western Conference leaders are to dominate the NBA today and tomorrow.
While the Nets' cash in cap room and rich draft picks could bode well for the future, OKC is already a team of the moment.
The Nets (14-29) trailed by 27 points in the first quarter and were up to 29 points, but they were able to keep up the lead with a shooting percentage of .552 and 19-of-43 shooting.
“You have to give them credit. You see the way they developed the system, the way they developed the talent, and the camaraderie as a group that they were able to keep you following and keep you guessing,” Cam・Johnson said. “And that's all we're striving to achieve. We'll get there eventually.”
Johnson returned from an ankle sprain and scored a team-high 15 points, tying Tyrese Martin.
However, the Nets lost for the eighth time out of nine games due to a lack of talent against a strong team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The guard, who played for Team Canada under Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, had 27 points and 10 assists.
“[The Thunder] I trusted the process,” Fernandez said. “You can tell that they're a group that believes in what they're doing, and they believe in what they're doing. And this shows that even if things go one way or the other, and even in the face of adversity, Because even if there is, there will be no second thoughts for a while. All there is is a desire to strive and grow and compete. And obviously they are in a very good position.
“We have to focus on our process, and that's a good thing. To maintain success, you have to understand how things go, and when there's adversity it's most important. And that happens quickly when our staff is so talented and working so hard to succeed along the process. I know it’s coming.”
That's why the Nets are essentially trying to copy OKC's model. That's the difficult but necessary trade-off of talent that could be useful today, like Dennis Schroder or Dorian Finney-Smith, for players who may never suit up (like De'Anthony Melton). This is the reason why I made the decision. Because the draft picks they receive in return will help them build long-term, sustainable success.
The Nets will struggle through a down season, but they have played hard for Fernandez. The only win on the six-game Western trip came at rival Portland in the lottery standings. Despite falling behind on Sunday, they narrowed their 27-point lead in the first quarter to 51-39 midway through the second quarter, but fell just short.
Thanks to general manager Sean Marks' machinations, the Nets have more projected cap space ($65 million) and future picks (15 first picks, 16 second picks) this summer than any other team in the league. It became.
The Thunder are right behind them with 13 and 16 points, respectively. But the difference is that OKC (35-7) leads the West, is led by Gilgeous-Alexander, and has won 20 of its last 22 league games.
The Nets stumbled early in the game Sunday night, missing their first seven shots.
Gilgeous and Alexander's layups put them up 34-7. There were 2 minutes and 25 seconds left in the first inning, but the game was over.
The Nets responded with a 20-7 run. Then Dayron Sharp made a 3 on a kickout from Ziare Williams to cut the score to 51-39 midway through the second quarter.
They often lost Isaiah Joe in the pick-and-roll. I watched him score 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from deep.
“In that first quarter, it was like raining three seconds,” Fernandez said. “We made some mistakes with Smalls' defense, small pick-and-rolls. Of course we've got to work on that and get better.”
At least they'll do it at home, with this grueling road trek behind them.
