Four Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets Season-Opener

Jordi Fernández’s Brooklyn Nets fought hard in a season-opening loss that Nets fans should feel encouraged by.

Oct 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets’ first game of the 2024-25 regular season may have ended in a one-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but Jordi Fernández’s Nets competed, showed a clear identity and gave fans something to be excited about for the upcoming year.

Nic Claxton returned for Brooklyn after missing all of the preseason, but came off the bench under a minutes restriction — which ended up not mattering much anyway when the Nets center was ejected due to a Flagrant 2 foul. That meant Ben Simmons and Dennis Schröder continued to start together alongside Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, as was the case throughout preseason. Day’Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford (left hamstring strains), and Bojan Bogdanović (left foot injury recovery) were still out of action.

Meanwhile, the home team Hawks were without Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder injury). Dominick Barlow (low back contusion), Seth Lundy (left ankle sprain) and Cody Zeller (not with the team). Of note, number one pick Zaccharie Risacher made his full NBA debut, scoring seven points in 19 minutes.

Here are four takeaways from the Nets’ first game of the season: 

A New Cam Thomas?

This must be prefaced with the typical caveats about the season being “one game in,” but life under Jordi Fernández has been different for Cam Thomas than under previous head coaches. 

The biggest thing is that there appears to be a very clear and disciplined emphasis to refining his shot selection while rounding out his defense and playmaking. Thomas is clearly the Nets’ most powerful scorer — he led the team with 22.5 points per game last season — but has room to improve his efficiency, process and vision. 

Thomas and the Nets did not come to terms on a rookie-scale contract extension this week, meaning that he will be a restricted free agent next summer, so a more urgent approach when it comes to these areas should arguably arrive. In this game against Atlanta, Thomas’ improvements — at least in this one contest — were on display. 

The former LSU guard struggled at the start of the game. Thomas finished the first quarter shooting 1-for-7 from the field, for instance. But he started heating up in the fourth, dropping 20 of his 36 points in that period, and threatening to take the season-opener into overtime. Despite his initial struggles, Thomas finished 14-of-27 (51.9%) from the field with three assists to two turnovers, and pitched in three steals and five rebounds. He became the first Brooklyn player ever with 35+ points in consecutive season-openers.

Importantly, Thomas only took two shots from the midrange. Both were misses, but the fact that he was taking shots either in the paint or from three has to encourage his coaching staff. Thomas also shared the ball smartly on this end and then provided genuine effort on defense, being more alert than usual off-ball while coming up with some steals and deflections.

A Tale of Two Halves for Ben Simmons

Ben going to work early 💪 pic.twitter.com/nlaDJ906HP

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 23, 2024

Ben Simmons’ streaky performances in a Brooklyn uniform continue as the three-time all-star returns from consecutive season-ending back injuries. 

Simmons started the game off brightly for the Nets, being on pace for a triple-double at half time with six points, five rebounds and five assists on 3-of-4 shooting. The Australian guard was aggressive in transition, including a nice full-court take which he finished through the body of Clint Capela, and active in the half-court with his playmaking.

However, Simmons completely fizzled out after the half. After that, he only added three assists and four turnovers to his box score. Simmons was timid and a non-factor, which cannot be the case given his talent level.

His performance in the first and second quarters helped set the tone for the Nets in terms of pace and ball movement, but then that was it. It was similar to Brooklyn’s preseason game against the Toronto Raptors.

Jalen Wilson Arrives?

This was a strong first impression for the season by Wilson, as the Summer League MVP was the Nets’ second-best player after Thomas in the team’s season-opener. 

Wilson was the first player off the bench for first-year coach Fernández, and he did not let the Spaniard down. The former Kansas Jayhawk ended up playing 34 minutes, more than any Net except for Dennis Schröder, and adding 16 points and four rebounds. 

Wilson looks like he'll be one of the Nets' better catch-and-shoot threats this season (to Simmons’ credit, he set up Wilson with some nice looks), but he's also not afraid to create his own shot. Brooklyn needs his aggression off the bench, but there is probably a world out there — one that includes happenings in the trade market — in which Wilson could start for the team at some point this season.

The Return of Nic Claxton

dyson daniels and nic claxton pic.twitter.com/wlJqsSoAXC

— ◇ (@HOODH3RO) October 24, 2024

Nic Claxton’s return was cut short when the Brooklyn center was fairly ejected with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Claxton had missed all of the preseason with a hamstring strain, but the plan was always for him to be active for the season opener. Still, he was brought off the bench on a minutes restriction, as Fernández explained: "You cannot go from 0-to-100, right? It would not make sense that he hasn't played, and now all of a sudden I play him [for] 35 minutes." 

Claxton finished with seven points and five rebounds, but what will have people talking is his ejection. It was a dangerous play, essentially a pro wrestling-style clothesline to Hawks guard Dyson Daniels while on a fast break, that warranted his disqualification for the game. 

“Whatever I do, I can’t get kicked out of games,” Claxton later said. “I know I was on restriction, but I still need to be there for my team.”

It was an unfortunate and avoidable event, but it doesn’t need to become bigger than an isolated incident in one game — even if a suspension could come. The Nets need Claxton to help lead them on- and off-the-court this season.

Up next, the Nets travel to Orlando to take on the Magic this Friday.

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