With 10 regular-season games remaining, the Nets’ future doesn’t look promising.
While they did pull off a win, albeit over a worse team in the Raptors on Monday night, the Hawks fought from a 30-point deficit to take a win away from the Celtics, putting the Nets back by six games in the loss column.
If the usual patterns keep up — the Nets losing, especially late in the game, and the Hawks staying on rather consistent roll — it seems elimination from play-in contention is inevitable.
Yet, there were some positives to be taken away from Monday’s 96-88 win for those who make up the Nets future.
Without Cam Johnson and late-scratch Cam Thomas on the floor, rookies Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson shined, combining for 19 points and 11 rebounds.
They also helped alleviate another off night from Mikal Bridges, who scored only 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting.
Clowney had only logged 12 games for an average of 8.5 minutes prior, but Monday was his second time appearing in three-straight games.
He played almost 21 minutes and had seven points and six rebounds.
“It’s big-time. I told him before the game to be ready,” Trendon Watford, who also delivered off the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds, said of Clowney. “I know he has a lot of talent. He’s good. Good kid. You know, the sky’s the limit for him. He was just ready tonight and I’m proud of him.”
“It was great that they trust me with the minutes,” Clowney said.
Clowney, the 21st overall pick of the 2023 draft out of Alabama, has been the brighter spot of the Nets’ 2023 first-round picks.
Dariq Whitehead, selected one spot after Clowney, only played in two games before undergoing season-ending shin surgery in January.
On Monday the second quarter was highlighted by a slight shot fake that sparked Clowney’s drive into the lane, finishing off with a massive dunk over the Raptors’ defense.
Interim head coach Kevin Ollie said he loved the effort.
“He’s always stepping out there and knocking down shots, but I like his aggressiveness going to the rim, too,” Ollie said. “That dunk in the first half was pretty big-time. So, just to see him attack the rim and space the court like he’d done. But he’s, if y’all watch the game, how he plays defense is phenomenal. He’s like another Nic [Claxton] out there that can play guards and get through screens. … That sticks out to me more than the 3s and the dunks.”
However, perhaps an even more promising star was picked up late in the second round of that same draft at 51st overall.
Wilson started to build his NBA résumé in an unexpected way.
When former head coach Jacque Vaughn sat the Nets stars for a game with the Bucks and the organization was later fined $100,000 as a result, Wilson — in only his ninth professional game — guarded two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At the other end of the floor, the former Kansas star impressed with 21 points, 10 rebounds and was perfect on all 11 free throws attempts across 30 minutes.
Since then, his minutes have ramped up when needed in his 33 appearances — topping out at 40 minutes for the short-handed Nets against the Cavaliers on Feb. 8.
Against the Raptors, he started for the second time this season and tallied 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.
Clowney and Wilson could see similar minutes Wednesday against the Wizards if Johnson (left big toe sprain) and Thomas (lower-back tightness) remain out with their injuries.
Giving the youngsters more opportunities is something Ollie has wanted to do since taking the interim role.
“They come in, they do solid things. They do simple better,” Ollie said of Clowney and Wilson. “They give us extra possessions with their hustle, their energy, and their effort. That’s what we need. And we gonna continue to ask those guys to do that.”