Hopefully, the Nets have been taking copious notes.
Past the traditional classes they’ll be taught from any loss, the Magic offered them a perfect rebuild blueprint to comply with and characterize a lot of what these Nets hope to finally grow to be.
They’re at a far totally different spot of their rebuild than the Magic, and it was evident because the Nets have been trounced, 123-100, to the red-hot Magic Friday night time at Barclays Heart, falling to September 11 on the season.
The Nets have simply begun their organizational reset, whereas the Magic have come out the opposite aspect and begun having fun with success.
Friday’s loss snapped the Nets’ three-game successful streak and marked the Magic’s tenth win of their final 11 video games regardless of being with out star Paolo Banchero because the begin of November.
“They were the best team overall, we just gotta give it to them” Fernandez mentioned. “On each ends, they made their photographs, they have been very bodily, they obtained to the free throw line, slightly little bit of every part.
Franz Wagner paced the Magic with 29 factors, 21 of which got here within the first half. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in 19 factors, together with two 3-pointers that stifled any Nets momentum within the third quarter.
The Magic blew the sport open late within the second quarter, utilizing a 15-5 run to increase their result in 12 coming into halftime. The subsequently opened the second half with a 13-5 run as their ballooned to twenty.
“It opens up everybody else’s confidence,” Fernandez mentioned of the Magic’s third-quarter run. “It’s not like they just had one focal point today. A lot of their guys played well.”
Dennis Schroder missed Friday’s recreation because of private causes and the Nets felt his absence.
Ben Simmons was extra aggressive attacking the rim and as a playmaker with out Schroder, recording eight assists, however he couldn’t exchange Schroder’s scoring with simply 4 factors.
The Nets’ identification went lacking with out Schroder as their ground basic as nicely. They entered the sport averaging 40.9 3-point makes an attempt per recreation, however took simply 29 on Friday and made 14 of them. They have been additionally unfastened with the ball, committing 20 turnovers. The Magic turned these turnovers into 34 factors.
“He’s very important,” Jalen Wilson mentioned of Schroder. “Head of the snake, been that guy the entire year. Whether he’s getting downhill and finding us or getting downhill and creating his own shot, all the different things he does. He’s very important to how we play and to our team.”
Shake Milton led the Nets with a season-high 22 factors. Tyrese Martin, making his first-career begin after erupting for 30 factors out of nowhere on Wednesday in opposition to the Suns, cooled off and completed with eight factors. Wilson drilled all three 3-pointers he took within the first quarter to provide the Nets an early jolt, however was quiet after that and completed with 11 factors.
The Nets could also be overachieving most lowly expectations for them early this season, however the Magic needs to be a real playoff contender within the Jap Convention. It is going to take far more than 20 video games to shut that hole.
There are many similarities to provide the Nets hope, nonetheless.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, like Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, was a extremely revered assistant earlier than getting his first head teaching alternative two years in the past. The Magic, just like the Nets have positioned an emphasis on, collected as a lot younger expertise and draft picks as they might. The Magic, just like the Nets, discovered themselves close to the underside of the standings earlier than tearing it down and beginning anew.
The Nets at the moment are 0-2 in opposition to the Magic this yr, however will rapidly get one other up-close look throughout a rematch again in Brooklyn on Sunday.
“We have a day to rest and watch it, learn from it,” Fernandez mentioned. “And then show up and be better.”
