To a man, the Nets say this is the most grueling training camp they’ve ever been put through. And they claim to be confident they’ll eventually reap the benefits, especially on the defensive end.
The Nets started to flash signs of that payoff Monday in a dominant 131-92 rout of the visiting Wizards in their home preseason opener.
The Nets led by as many as 43 points on a 3-pointer by Cui Yongxi that had the bench in stitches.
Again, the obligatory disclaimer that wins and losses in the preseason don’t mean much. But habits do, and the Nets — who sank into some bad ones last season — are showing encouraging ones.
In a tough camp, new coach Jordi Fernandez has harped on conditioning and competitiveness, and stressed defense and pace.
The Nets harassed Washington into just 40 percent shooting and 7 of 39 from behind the arc.
The Nets forced 19 turnovers for 35 points, and had a 26-7 edge in fast-break points.
After displaying a strong transition game in last week’s preseason loss at the Clippers only to lose the battle of the benches late, the Nets poured it on this time around.
Cam Thomas led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go with five rebounds. Reserve guard Shake Milton’s 16 points and Jalen Wilson’s 14 helped the Nets’ 74-45 edge in bench points.
“You had the pressure and trust in one another to have our back when we get beat. That’s really the main key,” Thomas said. “In this league, you’re going to get beat off the dribble. These guys are good offensive players. So as long as you can trust your teammates to have your back and cover for you, I feel like that’s all that matters. And obviously, the ball pressure, us picking up full-court, we made them miss. So I feel like that’s really going to help us.”
Of course, it should be noted that — again — this is preseason, and the Wizards are wretched. But what Nets fans will note was the crisp play and ball movement, with 27 assists and just seven turnovers.
The duo of Dennis Schroder (13 points, seven assists) and Ben Simmons helped their passing, even though the latter has to get used to defending centers in place of injured Nic Claxton. Just one on a list of things to work on.
“I’m happy right now,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, I’ve got to watch the film. I’m not impressed because that stretch in that second quarter was not great, but overall right now I feel good.
“But yeah, the ball pressure was good. Everybody tried, and it’s good when you start seeing the guys just talking to each other and telling each other ‘pressure the ball; do this.’ That’s when our communication started flowing, and that’s when our defense and our stops in that second half took the next step.”
The Nets trailed, 45-39, after Jordan Poole’s layup with 4:04 left in the first half. But Ben Simmons (11 points, five rebounds in 13 minutes before departing at the half) sparked a 20-1 run that spanned intermission and blew the game open.
Schroder found Simmons for a layup right before the break to put the Nets ahead, 55-46. Then he hit Thomas for a 3-pointer just 40 seconds into the second half to cap the blitz and push the lead to 59-46.
Wilson came off the bench to help pad that cushion. His steal and fast-break pass to Jaylen Martin gave the Nets an 89-70 edge to end the third quarter, and his 3-pointer with 9:42 to play made it 99-74.
The 3-pointer by Cui, who also goes by “Jacky,” was just the icing.
This Nets team has a lot of rebuilding to do over the next year or two, but that build is starting with a grueling camp — one that has had high-energy scrimmages and no-nonsense work.
“I’m happy with getting better. But that doesn’t mean that we are ready to rock and roll 100 percent,” Fernandez said. “We’re gonna have to keep growing and keep working, not just for that first game but throughout the season. That’s how it’s supposed to work.”