The Brooklyn Nets (2-2) came into Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets (3-1) with the chance to finish in the top-4 of the Las Vegas Summer League so that they could get to the playoff stage. Brooklyn made sure to put their best foot forward in the process by playing guards Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr., but the Rockets were too much for the Nets to handle.
The Nets lost to the Rockets 100-83 thanks to a first quarter in which Brooklyn fell behind to the tune of 28-13 as their shot the ball poorly and couldn’t take care of the basketball. Demin finished the contest with 21 points and three rebounds while Brown had 14 points and four assists as the Nets as a whole struggled to get anything going on the offensive end.
Guard Bruce Thornton led the Rockets in scoring with 23 points and four rebounds while guard Tristen Newton had 20 points and six rebounds of his own. With this loss, the Nets likely find themselves outside of the playoff picture for the Las Vegas Summer League, but after this tough loss, here are the player grades for Brooklyn following the contest:
Mikel Brown Jr.: C+
Brown started this game at the point guard spot after playing so well in the past few games, but he had a rough go of it in this one. Brown struggled mightily shooting the ball from all over the floor, especially from three-point land as the Rockets defense forced them to start their offense further from the rim than they would like and it hurt the offense as a whole.
Egor Demin: B-
Demin, like Brown, struggled to shoot the ball at an efficient clip, but he was able to get himself going from beyond the three-point line in the second half as he had to be more aggressive with his looks. While Demin struggled to take care of the basketball, he did a good job of rebounding and he made some nice plays on the defensive end of the floor.
Drake Powell: D
Powell was coming off what was easily the best game of the summer league after the way that he shot the ball against the Sacramento Kings, but he couldn’t continue that shooting performance against the Rockets. Powell couldn’t get anything to fall from three-point land and he wasn’t able to get past his defender when they were playing off of him.
Danny Wolf: C+
Wolf had been having a solid summer league prior to this game against the Rockets, but he couldn’t find many openings against a tough Houston defense that was pressuring all over the floor. Wolf didn’t get many shots up, but he did a great job of rebounding and making plays on the defensive end, even while being unable to take care of the basketball throughout the game.
Chaney Johnson: B
Johnson had a solid outing against the Rockets in which he didn’t put forth prolific numbers, but he was effective in most areas of the game. Johnson showed good touch around the rim, especially when he got dump-off passes from his teammates that were able to touch the paint and he gave his usual supreme effort on the defensive end of the court.
Dain Dainja: A
Dainja did a good job of scoring the ball off the bench as he seemingly couldn’t miss around the basket and was able to create space in the paint whenever he wanted. Dainja provided more offense that the Nets normally received from him over the course of this summer circuit, but he also maintained his physicality by getting on the glass whenever possible.
Ben Saraf: D
Saraf had one of his worst games during the summer circuit as he couldn’t get anything to fall from the field and he wasn’t able to create opportunities for himself either. Saraf also didn’t do a good job of taking care of the basketball, but he was active on the defensive end of the floor and due to that, he was able to make some plays in the passing lanes.
Tyler Bilodeau: C+
Bilodeau had another rough shooting game as he just couldn’t regain his shooting touch that he showed earlier in the summer league play when the Nets were in the California Classic. Bilodeau got plenty of good looks at the basket and it looked like he was finding his rhythm in the second half, but that moment came and went thanks to Houston’s defensive intensity.
Joshua Jefferson: B
Jefferson saw more playing time in this one as the Nets are trying to get him acclimated with the NBA style of play, but he is still getting his bearings at this point. Jefferson had a decent offensive outing as he looked comfortable moving around the floor while also finding some of his teammates for easy scores and making plenty of plays on the defensive end of the court.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets summer league player grades after 100-83 loss to Rockets
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
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By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
