Inside The Nets

Brooklyn Nets land at No. 22 in the latest Power Ranking of The Athletic

No significant change in ranking as Brooklyn remains on the hunt for Play-in contention.

Peter Sunjic

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In the wake of their ongoing zigzagging progress, there remains an unchanged regard for the Brooklyn Nets in the latest Power Ranking released recently by The Athletic for this 2023-24 NBA season.

The Nets occupy the No. 22 slate

In the newest Power Ranking tally of The Athletic, the Nets have taken a minimal downslide — going from last week's No. 21 post to now occupying the No. 22 spot.

Their categorization from this lowly position remains as it is. The Nets are still within the Tier 5 plateau of the league hierarchy (Looking to make the Play-In), and their current standing as the Eastern Conference's 11th seed with a 26-40 card (3.5 games away from the Play-In) just highlights this.

Late game heroes

As the theme of his latest Power Ranking piece revolves around clutch game context, Zach Harper provided his key insights into both Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, who have been the Nets' best and worst late-game performers.

Bridges has been the team's focal crunch-time player, with 102 points in 35-of-66 shooting (53.0 percent). On the other hand, Cam has been the unimpressive one with his 34 points out of 8-of-31 field goals (25.8 percent).

“Even though the Nets’ season has fallen apart, Bridges has still been ultra-reliable when it comes to clutch moments. His 76.3 percent free-throw shooting could definitely be better, but he has a ton of free-throw attempts too. Bridges rarely turns it over and always gets to a good spot on the floor to find a shot,” Harper wrote.

“Surprisingly, Thomas has been terrible in the clutch. He’s not afraid to take shots, but he also doesn’t take the best shots. I still like a player like him who can create an attempt out of nothing.”

Brooklyn falls short in a significant loss to the Orlando Magic

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Peter Sunjic
PETER SUNJIC

Peter's journey with basketball commenced in the first grade, and it has since evolved into an integral part of his life. Standing on the brink of a potential professional playing career, Peter ultimately chose to pursue a degree in Political Science and Journalism in Zagreb, Croatia. Despite this academic pursuit, his deep-rooted love for the game of basketball endured, undiminished. Now, as a writer and editor, Peter finds an avenue to channel his unwavering passion for basketball-related news and analysis. Whether it's deciphering the latest happenings or delving into the lore of old-school basketball, he covers every corner of the NBA world.

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