LAS VEGAS — The Nets’ summer league team will have a different roster and coaching staff than Brooklyn’s regular-season squad.
But their spirit?
Their foundation?
It should be more of the same and will provide a window into how the new, rebuilding Nets will play.
Or at least try to.
That makes sense.
New coach Jordi Fernandez, who will continue as head coach of the Canadian national team, has handed over the reins of the Las Vegas Summer League to assistant Steve Hetzel.
Fernandez served as an assistant to Hetzel with the G League Canton Charge before succeeding him.
Currently, their roles are on hold, but their philosophy remains the same.
“From our standpoint, as a group, as Jordi’s coaching staff and as a front office, we don’t necessarily think that our style of play is going to change because of the makeup of our roster compared to summer league,” Hetzel said. “The importance of summer league is to lay the foundation for how we want to play.”
“So I want this Brooklyn Nets team to be disruptive, to be physical, to help each other, to play fast, to share the ball. So that message just gets across to the team. So I believe in this simple approach, but we believe that if we rely on those things, that’s how a successful team operates.”
The Nets traded away Mikal Bridges and are in the midst of a rebuilding process that most observers expect to finish around 20 wins.
Wins are hard to come by and you have to earn them on the defensive end.
“I want to create confusion defensively. I want to be physical, I want to create chaos. That’s what I want to see most,” Hetzel said. “Pressure on the ball, confusion, deflections, I want us to play for each other on both ends of the court. I want us to be in good help positions.”
“We want them to share the ball. We want them to apply our shooting range, so get the ball in the paint, kick it out, take your best shot, not your first shot. That’s the goal. Playing well within what we believe to be good play, which is being disruptive physically on defense, helping the defense, moving the ball, getting touches in the paint.”
It all starts here in Las Vegas.
As expected, the six players on Brooklyn’s roster last season were the most impressive — draft picks Noah Clowney, Darik Whitehead and Jalen Wilson, along with Jalen Merton, Jacob Gilyard and Keon Johnson.
Brooklyn opens summer league play on Friday against the Pacers at Cox Pavilion (8 p.m., NBA TV).
The Long Island Nets have hired Matt McDonald as the fourth general manager in franchise history.
Cam Thomas threw the first pitch at Citi Field for Thursday’s Mets-Nationals game, a 7-0 victory.
