NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (1-6) are coming off one of their tougher losses so far this season after losing to the New York Knicks on Monday 103-90 thanks to a fourth-quarter collapse. Brooklyn has spent much of its time this season talking about what needs to change for them to start winning games and recently, there has been one major theme discussed throughout the team.
"Right now, we have these moments of not being super connected, and we've had really good moments. I think that they mean just getting to know each other better to understand when they're running based on the spacing that we have and so forth," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said prior to Wednesday's matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. Even in the first three quarters
when Brooklyn was leading New York, it was noticeable how often players were communicating with each other.
"You have to stay connected and have those little conversations throughout the game to maintain composure and make sure everyone's on the same page. That's very important," forward Michael Porter Jr. said prior to facing the Hornets. Porter, who was dealing with a left arm issue during the loss to the Knicks, finished the game with 18 points and five rebounds, but he wasn't the only one that knows how important communication is to the success of the team.
"I think you have to have a little bit of both. Obviously, in timeouts you're gonna say what you've seen or whatever, but [it has to happen] on the fly as well. The really good teams do that, they're able to kind of see what's going on, read the game a little bit," guard Keon Ellis explained prior to Wednesday's contest against Charlotte. It's possible that the Nets felt overwhelmed in the fourth quarter against the Knicks, especially since they lost that period 28-11.
However, Wednesday's game against the Hornets presents the opportunity for the Nets to show that all of the talking they've been doing has been leading them to a place where they can be more competitive down the stretch of tough games. Charlotte will be getting forward Kon Knueppel back into their rotation, but Brooklyn may be ready to communicate better in front of their home crowd at Barclays Center.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets emphasize communication heading into rematch against Hornets
