Getty Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets made massive changes at the trade deadline, completely reshaping their roster. And in turn, the future of their franchise looks extremely different from what it looked like just a few short months ago.
That being said, the group of guys the team has put together is playing well. They took down the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night by a score of 102-86. After the game, Spencer Dinwiddie gave Nic Claxton a ton of credit for his defensive presence.
“I think JV [head coach Jacque Vaughn] gives us our principal,” Dinwiddie said via the Nets’ official YouTube channel. “Sets the tone. And then we just kind of know our identity. We gotta be a defensive-minded group. Clax, as our anchor, is phenomenal at switching defenses and being able to kind of guard out on the perimeter, which means we got to come back and gang rebound and, you know, just off to the races.”
Claxton ended the night with eight points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Dinwiddie, who was asked about Vaughn’s comments about his basketball IQ, also praised Claxton’s ability to get his teammates good looks on offense.
“It’s funny because, like, every year, I have kind of a different role, to a degree,” said Dinwiddie. “This team, obviously, has been thrown together kind of last second, but it’s a bunch of good guys, a bunch of high basketball IQ guys. And then we have a lot of guys who can really shoot the ball. So, knowing that, understanding that, it means that it’s on me to call the right plays at the right time. Obviously, mostly JV’s calling them, but also, when I see some, call them.. Get shooter shots. Just try to break the paint. I think that’s what I do that’s a little bit more unique than other guys on the roster. Break the paint, cause havoc, and as you’ve seen the last couple games, they’ve been blitzing my pick and rolls because of that. So, that’s then trusting Nic to play in the pocket. And tonight, obviously, we only scored 102, but Nic did a great job of spraying out and playing with his basketball IQ and getting guys good looks – Do[rian Finney-Smith], Seth [Curry], Joe [Harris] even. And that’s how we were kind of able to put them in a bind.”
Spencer Dinwiddie Sounds Off on Nets Lessons
The Nets have won two games in a row, but there’s still plenty to learn from those contests. Dinwiddie said that they need to continue to establish an identity, but also noted they are confident in their ability to compete against any team.
“You can’t get down 30 [points], especially not to a good team,” Dinwiddie said. “As great as it was to win that, we’d be fools to think that that’s a repeatable process. There’s a reason why we’re the only team to come back from 28 this season, right? But the carryover then to Charlotte, and really kinda stifling them on defense…that was more so what we should be proud of than the historic comeback. That establishes identity. And, basically, if we continue to carry over – we hold a team under 100 points or to 100 points – we have a chance to win every single night. And that’s any team”
Jacque Vaughn Discusses Ben Simmons’ Season
In other news, as Ben Simmons continues to deal with injuries, Vaughn was asked about whether or not he would be shut down for the rest of the season. He answered swiftly, however, putting a stop to those rumors.
“That’s a zero on that one,” Vaughn said via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints. “I think I went zero last time, going zero again, no discussion.”