G League Watch: How the Long Island Nets Are Doing Before the Regular Season

The Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate is struggling.

Mar 11, 2021; Orlando, Florida, USA; The NBA G League logo is covered in confetti after the Final between the Delaware Blue Coats and the Lakeland Magic at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt-Imagn Images / Mary Holt-Imagn Images

The Long Island Nets are the worst team in the G League. Brooklyn’s developmental squad finished the Showcase Cup, the G’s first half of the season, 2-14, having lost their last 11 consecutive contests.

The Nets’ most recent losses came in the G League Winter Showcase. That tournament, which was won by the Westchester Knicks for the second year in a row, featured defeats to the San Diego Clippers and the Rip City Remix. The Clippers game was a complete blowout, and Long Island's worst performance of the season, but it was a closer 114-106 loss to the Remix.

There were some positive takeaways from that game, despite yet another loss. Two-way wing Jaylen Martin dropped a season-high 30 points, with encouraging 4-of-10 shooting from three. He was then made available for Brooklyn’s next game against the Miami Heat.

Killian Hayes, the former seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, grazed a triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Hayes first made his way to the Nets organization on an Exhibit 10 contract, but the Frenchman didn’t play in any preseason games because of a hip injury. 

Hayes, who was ineligible for a two-way deal, was then waived by Brooklyn and joined Long Island. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists on 43.2% shooting so far. Hayes has played in 210 NBA games to date.

Looking to the next few weeks, Dec. 27 marks the start of the G League’s 34-game regular season. The games until now had been part of the Showcase Cup, which culminated in Orlando.

Long Island faces the Delaware Blue Coats next, on Dec. 30. The Nets' last two games against the Blue Coats at the start of December were 132-129 and 116-108 home losses. This rematch will take place away from Long Island in Wimington, DE.

Plus, NBA teams can start signing players to 10-day contracts on Jan. 5. That is sure to cause plenty of movement in the G League. The Nets’ most recent acquisition was Kevin Obanor, who played college basketball for Oral Roberts and Texas Tech before spending last season with the Raptors 905. Long Island recently lost AJ Lawson to a Toronto Raptors two-way contract and “Jacky” Cui Yongxi to a season-ending ACL injury.

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