Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets Weekly Roundup: Week 5

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:30 p.m. ET

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Nov 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts to a foul call in the first half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets 118-97. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets continued being not so graceful this week. Injuries really crippled the Nets as they played tougher opponents. Here is everything you may have missed this week.

Caris LeVert Participates in Full Practice

Probably the best news from the whole week is that rookie Caris LeVert participated in his first full practice this year. Hopefully, fans will have the opportunity to see him on the court soon.

Nets Lose to Celtics Again

The first of three losses this week came at the hand of the Boston Celtics. It was a close game until the third quarter where the Nets began to struggle. The Celtics would have an easy path to victory throughout the second half.

Nets’ Loss to Celtics Worsened By Injuries to Hollis-Jefferson and Whitehead

To make matters worse, the Nets lost Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Isaiah Whitehead due to injuries during the loss to the Celtics. Fortunately, neither injury was serious, and Whitehead returned the very next game. Hollis-Jefferson, on the other hand, will probably miss a couple games with a sore right ankle.

Nets Get Blown Out By Pacers, Drop Sixth Straight

The Nets took another beating on Friday night when they lost their sixth straight to the Pacers. What makes the loss even worse is that the Pacers didn’t even have Paul George. The Nets have one more meeting left with Indiana. By that time, the Nets should be back at full strength.

Anthony Bennett Assigned to D-League

The Nets took a chance this summer when they signed former number one overall pick Anthony Bennett. Bennett has not played at the level the Nets have hoped for so far. Thus, Bennett was sent down to the D-League to play for the Long Island Nets. It appears the Nets are taking the same approach with Bennett as Chris McCullough though, as both players were available for the matchup against the Kings.

More Questions Than Answers For Nets After Third Quarter Meltdown, Drop Seventh Straight

It was much of the same for the Nets in their final game this week, dropping their seventh straight. The team is still looking for answers on how to get past their third quarter woes.

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Nets Record this Week: 0-3

Nets 92 – Celtics 111

Nets 97 – Pacers 118

Nets 105 – Kings 122

Thoughts

If there is any way to look at the last two weeks positively, it is that Brooklyn has not been at full strength. The Nets still have been without Jeremy Lin during all these losses, and other players have been in and out of the lineup. The recurring problem for the Nets has been their poor third quarter performances. It has been a problem all year long, but as of late, it has been more noticeable. If the Nets can fix this, they will have more closely contested games instead of blowout losses.

Nov 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick (6) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Glenn Robinson III (40) defends in the first quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Week: Sean Kilpatrick

Stat Averages for the Week

20.3 points, 4.3 assists, 53% FG, 43% 3pt FG

Out of all the bad surrounding the Nets this week, Sean Kilpatrick had a good week. He shot the ball well and scored when the Nets needed a basket. It is nice to see the late season success Kilpatrick had last year has carried over into this year. With the Nets being shorthanded on guards due to injuries, it has been a good thing the Nets resigned him in the offseason.

More from Nothin' But Nets

On a side note, Trevor Booker has been playing very well so far this season. He provides the Nets with energy night in and night out. He is truly the definition of Brooklyn Grit. In the last week, he had two double-doubles. For that, I felt it was important to put a little blurb in about Booker.

Nov 12, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (left) looks on next to Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (right) during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Nets won 122-104. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Health?

It is impossible to fix a player’s health, but that is the problem for the Nets. They clearly need to work on a lot of different areas on the floor. Last week, it was their rebounding, and the week before, it was their defense. Neither has improved much in the past few weeks, but there is a reason for this still being the issue.

Brooklyn has not been able to stay healthy. If this team could just stay healthy, there is a possibility that these problems would not be as much of an issue for the team. Would their problems vanish entirely? No, but having a healthy team is so important to game planning and team chemistry. If Atkinson had a full squad, he may be able to find ways to put a band-aid on their weaknesses. Only time will tell if having a fully healthy squad improves the current state of the team.

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