The Nets have had to wait longer than every other team for their preseason to begin. That wait finally will end today, when the new-look Nets take the floor for the first time in Atlantic City against the Sixers.
For the Nets, it will mark the first competitive game with the players sporting the name “Brooklyn” across their chests, as well as the first time virtually an entire new roster will take the floor together as a unit in a competitive setting.
“It is [exciting], no matter what the results are,” said Nets coach Avery Johnson following yesterday’s practice. “We’ve got to get ourselves together.
“Some teams, if they had six or eight preseason games, maybe they could play their starters in three or four of those games. I think … we have to get some time with our guys on the floor. We haven’t played together. … For us, we’ve got to get a group together with six preseason games, and try to get them on the same page. That shows that we are behind a lot of teams.”
Because the Nets’ preseason has started so late, Johnson has had the team compete in a pair of scrimmages in order to try to simulate game situations, with the latest one coming during Thursday’s practice.
Those situations can be challenging to learn from, thanks to wanting to focus on everything that’s happening on the floor instead of specific things the team is doing on one side of the ball or the other.
“We need to get some other teams on video,” Johnson said. “Like today, we watched our scrimmage, but just as much as we were talking about our defense, we were talking about our offense. It will be good when we have a true defensive when we’re on defense and a true offensive when we’re on offense against another opponent.”
As for the players, they’re more than ready to get out on the court and play against someone else after spending the past two weeks in training camp and the weeks prior participating in informal workouts together at the team’s practice facility.
“I think the jerseys look pretty cool,” said Brook Lopez with a smile. “But our team is different, and obviously that’s the most important thing. [We have] a bunch of new guys out there and guys who want to be out there, who have the right mindset and want to do well for this team.
“It’s going to be fun. Like I said, the guys have been waiting for this for awhile. We’ve been practicing day-in and day-out for awhile, and we just want to get out there and play against someone else.”
* MarShon Brooks again was in a walking boot on the sidelines, as he continues to battle tendinitis in his right foot. Jerry Stackhouse, who had acupuncture on his right leg Wednesday, also missed practice.
Tyshawn Taylor, who missed the first week-and-a-half of training camp with a strained right quadriceps participated fully in practice yesterday, but Johnson said he won’t play today.
Johnson also ruled Taylor out of Monday’s game at Barclays Center against the Wizards, and said it was no better than 50-50 that Taylor would debut in Tuesday’s game in Boston.