Inside The Nets

Jacque Vaughn is confident the Brooklyn Nets can turn the season around

The Nets have free-fallen into one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference.

Marin Gabric

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Despite the Nets’ 17-26 record, head coach Jacque Vaughn believes in the capability of his squad. It has been a tough season for the entire organization, but there are some promising signs every game.

Brooklyn needs to get their act together and capitalize on the opportunities presented to them. Coach Vaughn knows the team has talent, which is why he’s so confident in his squad for the second half of the season push.

“I'm actually pretty confident. Because that was a heartbreaking loss that we had in Clipperland. You see how the guys responded to a game that we should’ve won in Portland, then we won the Laker game,” Coach JV said in his post-game interview. 

“That ability for our guys to show a spirit about themselves and competitiveness about themselves. Definitely leans me into having belief and more comfort in this group to continue to push them and try to get some wins.”

The Nets have shown promising signs

Whenever the Nets play at a fast pace with good energy, you can see an ecstatic Coach JV. That is his preferred playstyle, which the players have veered away from because they don’t have Ben Simmons to spearhead the offense.

There are some flashes of that playstyle when Dennis Smith Jr. is on the floor because he plays his role as a vocal leader and someone who pushes the tempo. That’s what the Nets have been doing in the past few games; the team is just not executing in the fourth quarter.

The Nets can string multiple wins together by remaining focused on playing at a fast pace and ball movement. It will be tough, but Brooklyn has one of the most talented teams in the Eastern Conference, and it will be a shame if it does not meet its potential.

The Nets must get past adversity

Every Nets game is a winnable matchup because of their ceiling as a team. Brooklyn can compete with any team because they have a strong roster capable of keeping up.

The Nets have problematic areas in their playstyle, with the biggest being the struggles with late-game execution. Even Mikal Bridges' noticed a drop-off from earlier in the season.

“Just have to handle adversity a little bit better. We had it earlier in the year. It's tough when you keep losing at the end; it pushes your confidence down,” Mikal said after losing to New York.

That kind of assessment shows the Nets’ commitment to winning more games. The players and coaching staff need to work on how they play because Brooklyn should have a better record than the current one; that's certain.

The Brooklyn Nets suffer a close loss to the New York Knicks

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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