© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
As struggles continue, Nets crash in The Athletic's latest NBA Power Rankings
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It has been a troubling second quarter of the 2023-24 season for the Brooklyn Nets.
After they enjoyed hype and excitement from fans after flashing a strong 12-9 start, the Nets suddenly went stumbling and proceeded to bow down in 15 of their last 20 games en route to a woeful 16-24 card.
From flirting one of the most surprising team offenses, they became a splash in the pan and have been inconsistent ever since. And while they are boasting one of the most well-rounded player slates in the league, their defense has been painfully failing them on a nightly basis.
Nets settle on a mediocre position in The Athletic's latest Power Ranking
From these unfortunate struggles that they displayed, Brooklyn can only absorb an awful ranking toward their recent progress in the latest Power Ranking post of The Athletic.
The Athletic's Zach Harper placed the Nets in a woebegone position — at the 24th spot — in which they are categorized as a Play-In hopeful.
Projected to end the season with a 33-49 card, Harper argued that he was disappointed with how the Nets have suddenly fared after boasting an impressive first quarter to their season.
He also presented ideas for the ball club, like their uncertainty about reaching a 38-win season and the probability of unloading plenty of their wing units as the trade deadline gets nearer.
“I went into this season with high hopes for the Nets. But I got it all wrong on how they’d look. I thought the defense would shine, and the offense would struggle. It’s been the other way completely. I’m not sure they’re capable of pulling it all together to climb up to 38 wins over better unless Ben Simmons comes back and is an impact player pretty quickly. The Nets might also lessen their roster by sending out a 3-and-D wing or two at the deadline. But this is a pretty dangerous team as constructed.”
What does this mean for the Nets as they move forward?
From the furious shift of energy that they absorbed, it has to be acknowledged that the Nets need to adapt to urgent changes within their core.
The organization has no choice but to continue finding ways to improve their campaign this season. An idea of tanking is a basketball suicide, as their first-round draft pick this year is in the possession of the Houston Rockets.
As Feb. 8 is encircled on the calendar for the league's trade deadline this year, the Nets have important decisions and ponderings to make to remodel their contention plans and enhance their look as they head to the second half of the season.
