The Long Island Nets Are No Longer Just a Pipeline

The G-League was not taken seriously for a time. The Nets have changed that now. The Long Island Nets, the G-League-affilated team, been executing their ideas and play the same way. This season, they are doing well. That shows the system is working.

The Long Island Nets just had a game against Capital City (Wizards), They just made it in to the playoffs as well. This shows that the team can develop players and still win games at that level. The Long Island Nets winning also helps translate to the NBA talent and that helps players get better faster.

• Nets and LI Nets use the same philosophy and schemes

• They have the same defensive schemes, down to the core beliefs

• The coaches talk to each other all the time to discuss improvements in certain players

• Each player has a role to fit on both sides and is expected to play their part.

The players do not have to learn two different systems. They just have to master one system. That is why when players join the Brooklyn Nets after their stint with Long Island, they are ready to play. They do not look confused or out of place.

Development That’s Translating

Several players whose development was with the Long Island Nets are now playing minutes in the NBA, and they are doing important jobs on the Nets.This Brooklyn team is not just looking at how many points these players can score in the G-League; they want to know if they can do the things that will help them win games and progress towards the future, especially this upcoming season.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking for effort and consistency, the ability to do what Coach Fernandez says within a system. How hard they try and their effort on the defensive end and rebounding.

This way of doing things is making players compete with each other. And importantly, it is making them responsible for what they do. The Brooklyn team is creating a system where players have to be accountable for their actions on the court.

One of those players is Drake Powell. He's 20 years old, got drafted by the Brooklyn Nets and still getting used to playing in the big leagues. Powell has played 51 games far. He doesn't take a lot of shots as of now, which is something he was used to doing in college. This makes it hard for him to show off his skills on offense.

Here are some of Powell's stats:

• He makes 25.5% of his three-pointers this year

• He makes 55% of his two-point shots

• He makes 90% of his free throws

Powell is really good at scoring close to the basket and making free throws. He struggles with shooting from outside and sometimes doesn't take enough shots from out there. When Powell played a few games with the Long Island team, he started to play aggressively. He averaged 15 points and took 11 shots per game. He even helped his team win three games.

When Powell went back to Brooklyn, he kept playing with confidence. He took 13 shots. Had three assists in one game, against Atlanta.

Powell said that playing for Brooklyn and Long Island feels like he's part of "one club." The teams have the system and coaches, which makes it easier for him to adjust. “I think it’s just all one club. And the coaches down there, they’ve been up in Brooklyn during the summer… which was good.”

Powell also praised his Long Island coach, Mfon Udofia, for being a leader and always communicating with him. “Great leader. Talks to me one-on-one, before and after the game … he’s been great over there.”

Noah Clowney's Improvement

Noah Clowney is one of the big successes of this way of developing players. Toward the end of his year, Clowney really started to do well after spending a lot of time in Long Island. It happened because he was put in situations to learn and get better.

At that time, Coach Kevin Ollie said that Udofia and his team did a job of helping Noah Clowney grow and become more confident in his own abilities. “He’s just growing down there … putting him in positions to succeed, and he’s letting his seeds grow.”

Now the same approach is still working well for the group of players the same way it worked for Noah Clowney.

Chaney Johnson's Opportunity

Chaney Johnson’s story is not like other players. He is 23 years old. Has played for many teams. Division II ball, Auburn, and the G-League. Now he has a two-way deal with Brooklyn.

Chaney Johnson played a game against Portland about a week ago and claimed his best game of his career so far. This was his fifth game, and he is still learning a new position.

After the game, Chaney Johnson said what is helping him do well: "Coach Udofia and the other coaches give us confidence. If you do not have confidence, then working hard will not really help you."

Bench Building

There have been a lot of times when the second unit has actually played better than the starters. You have players like E.J. Liddell, Chaney Johnson, Tyson Etienne, Josh Minott, Ben Saraf, and Malachi Smith. All of these players came from Long Island and already made a impact. They bring a lot of energy to Brooklyn coming off the bench.

Some players who are just with the Nets for a short amount of time are also making a difference. This is what a good development system should look like in the NBA. It should give players who're ready to jump in and make an impact on a team right away. In this case, these players are given a opportunity to not only play and showcase themselves but also potentially securing a permanent spot on the NBA roster coming into next season.

One player who is doing this after falling off with his stints at Minnesota and Boston is Josh Minott.

Minott's Development into Rotation Player

After the trade from Boston, Josh Minott spent some time on Long Island. Josh Minott needed this time to get back on track. Sometimes you have to take a step and start over, and the G-League affiliate is exactly what helped for Josh Minott: it gave him a fresh start for his body and his mindset.

Josh Minott said it himself in these terms: “It’s a great group of guys down there… the training staff really helped me… I don’t really notice any difference in terms of the professionalism."

After three games with Long Island, Josh Minott came back to Brooklyn, and you could feel something change right away. Josh Minott did not just look like a guy with potential anymore; he looked like a guy who belonged. All the recent talk about Josh Minott is real with his recent stats in games.

Josh Minott is standing out for a few things: his defense is everywhere, his energy is very high, he scores in transition, and he does not force things. Everything feels under control, he is not trying hard on offense at all. The coaches are trusting Josh Minott every night because he sticks to the system, competes all the time, and makes a real impact without needing the ball in his hands every time.

To be honest, Josh Minott is not some guy the system helped develop. Josh Minott is turning into someone Brooklyn can actually count on on a consistent basis during the final days of the NBA season.

Sean Marks' vision comes to light

When Sean Marks stepped in as general manager in 2016, the Long Island Nets were just getting started. At that time nobody thought the G-League team was a part of building the Brooklyn roster.

The Brooklyn Nets found guys like Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie from teams not from their own development system.Now it has been ten years, and things are totally different. The Long Island Nets are now a part of the Brooklyn Nets rebuilding plan. The Brooklyn Nets are serious about growing their players, and it is clear that the Brooklyn Nets actually have a plan.

Or to say it like Jacque Fernández said: the Brooklyn Nets players play the way.

The Brooklyn team is not just thinking about making their players better now they are thinking about the future. They have nine games left to play and they have a good chance of getting a top player in the lottery.

One of those players in Cameron Boozer.

Could Boozer Be A Centerpiece?

People think Cameron Boozer is one of the players in his draft class. He scores points easily grabs the ball when it bounces off the hoop, he is already big enough to play in the NBA, He knows how to play basketball really well with great IQ

Cameron Boozer has verious of ways of playing that makes it easy for him to play with the professionals especially getting up to the NBA. The Brooklyn team knows what kind of team they want to be, which helps a player like Cameron Boozer to fit in and get better without getting confused. This helps the young star a lot of if he is projected to fall to the Nets with the Top 5-10 Lottery picks.

Final Thoughts

Brooklyn may not be winning right now, but they are building something real for the future and as long as Coach Fernandez can stay the path. They should have a bright future. The Long Island Nets are helping the Brooklyn team by giving them players who can help.

Young players are getting to play they are getting more confident and getting Cameron Boozer would give the team a direction to follow. This is not, about trying to win the Brooklyn team is building for the long term and you can see that they are doing it.