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The Brooklyn Nets came into their matchup with the Chicago Bulls on January 4, looking to tie the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Nets suffered their first loss of 2023 as the Bulls snapped their 12-game win streak with a 121-112 victory.
But the game was not the only thing the Nets lost in their matchup with the Bulls. They also lost their forward, TJ Warren, who left the game with a rib contusion and did not return. The Nets have yet to provide a further update on his condition.
Warren was one of the biggest stars of the 2020 Orlando Bubble. He averaged 26.6 points on 54.1% shooting and 47.5% from long distance in 10 games.
Per Stat Muse, some of his notable NBA Bubble performances included:
53 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists vs. Sixers
34 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks against vs. Wizards
32 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals vs. Magic
Warren was beginning to recreate some of the same spark from 2020 in his debut season with the Nets. Coming into Brooklyn’s matchup with the Bulls, he scored at least 12 points in five of their last six games. He was also a consistent rotation player averaging 19.8 minutes per game this season. If Warren is out for an extended period, it would be a significant loss for the Nets.
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TJ Warren Sounds off on His Defense
The offensive side of the ball won’t be the only area where Warren is missed. He has also become one of the Nets’ best defenders, often taking on the assignment of defending the opposing team’s best player. It has been a pleasant surprise for Nets fans, but Warren says he has always been a good defender. He believes that part of his game has been overshadowed by his scoring ability.
“When you score so easily, and you’ve just been a natural scorer basically my whole career, other parts of my game can be underrated. But it’s on me to just consistently show that I’m a two-way player, just take pride in that, and giving 100 percent effort on both ends. Just not scoring, it’s defense as well. So just challenging myself every night on the defensive end,” Warren told the New York Post on December 27.
“Just being mindful that those possessions matter. Just that attention and detail, boxing out, getting those possessions. Finishing defense with a rebound is very vital when you’re trying to win important games. So just trying to emphasize that now, so we’re just mindful of that consistently.”
Jacque Vaughan Gets Praised by Gregg Popovich
Despite their win streak being snapped, the Nets have still solidified themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. Much of that has to do with the leadership of Nets head coach Jacque Vaughan. They have gone from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to becoming a legit threat to win the NBA title.
Vaughan is just the latest branch from the Gregg Popovich tree to have success as a head coach in the NBA. After the Nets’ win over the San Antonio Spurs on January 2, Popovich praised Vaughan for what he has done in Brooklyn.
“He’s just one of those guys who is a natural, high basketball IQ guy who knows what’s going on. He wasn’t the most talented player in the world. Usually, those guys have to figure out how they’re going to make a career for themselves and what they’re going to do to become important to a team. And what is important to a team is what makes you a valuable teammate,” Popovich said of Vaughn.
“He intrinsically understood what was going on … time, spacing, clock, scores, [and] engendered the respect of his teammates, because of the way he played, the example he set up, all sorts of things.”
It will be interesting to see just how far Vaughan can take the Nets this season.
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