The Brooklyn Nets brought in Julius Randle to lead their offense as they shed the tanking label this season. Six games in, they're struggling to find an identity on that end of the floor. The Nets rank 28th in offensive rating (105.0), 21st in true shooting percentage (55.5) and 29th in turnovers (19.0 per game) during their 1-5 start.
What does Randle attribute the team's offensive struggles to?
“We're not all on the same page with what we're running or trying to do out there, and it's getting us in bad positions,” he said after the Nets' 110-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday. “We're getting stuck against a loaded defense or our floor balance is off, or we're not cutting when we're supposed to cut. There’s no flow and rhythm after the first action. It's like sometimes we get bogged down or stuck, and we're just sitting there watching each other, and it's not putting us in the best position to succeed, especially versus a team like [Detroit]. They're a really good defense. You've got to give them multiple things to guard, and we're not doing that.”
Asked Julius Randle about the Nets' offensive struggles:
“There’s no flow and rhythm after this after the first action… It's like sometimes we get bogged down or stuck, and we're just sitting there watching each other, and it's not putting us in the best position to succeed.… pic.twitter.com/qKmLd2kFqx
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 31, 2026
Randle has struggled from an efficiency standpoint, averaging 20.8 points on 43.3 percent shooting with 5.3 assists and 4.2 turnovers per game. His ball-centric style of play has been an adjustment for his co-star, Michael Porter Jr.
Following a career-best season with Brooklyn in 2025-26, Porter has averaged 21.2 points on 46.2 percent shooting with 1.3 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game to start this year. He's attempting 15.5 shots per game, down from 18.4 last season.
“There are definitely times out there that I'm going long stretches without touching the ball,” Porter said following Friday's loss. “That’s not the plan, but sometimes it takes a while for a group to fit together. I have to do a better job of maybe telling the point guards or telling Julius and them [to find me]. Also, when Julius gets the ball, he's a really good passer. So we need to make ourselves available and be able to play off of him better. Sometimes he's getting the iso, and we're just staring at him. It's just something that we've got to figure out. I've got to figure out how to stay more involved sometimes.”
Asked MPJ about the Nets' offensive struggles and his adjustment to playing alongside Julius Randle:
“There’s definitely times out there that I'm going long stretches without touching the ball… But that’s not the plan… I have to do a better job of maybe telling the point… pic.twitter.com/mbTDRCFA9l
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) October 31, 2026
The Nets' back-to-back lottery picks, Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr., have also gotten off to a slow start this season. Demin, who is currently sidelined with a right leg bone bruise, has averaged 7.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game on 31.0 percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from three. Brown has averaged 10.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.8 turnovers on 27.3 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent from three.
Randle made a concerted effort to get the ball moving during the Nets' 98-90 victory over the shorthanded Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Nets still searching for offensive identity after grinding out first win of season
The veteran forward attempted one shot through the game's first six minutes and 15 shots overall while dishing out six assists. Brooklyn still struggled to find an offensive rhythm, shooting 30-of-73 (41.1 percent) from the field and 13-of-39 (33.3 percent) from three with 21 assists and 15 turnovers.
However, five Nets players reached double figures in the win. Porter scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Randle added 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Sophomore point guard Nolan Traore scored 14 second-half points while draining four threes. And centers Day'Ron Sharpe and Moe Wagner combined for 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting.
Article Continues Below“I think we're still just figuring it out. There was definitely still a lot of random possessions that weren't the prettiest. And we still ended up having to force tough shots, but it's just part of us trying to find our identity,” Porter said following the win. “I think we did a lot better tonight, sticking with it. Even when we just stuck to our principles more. And once we rep those out, we'll get more comfortable with it, and then it will be like second nature. So right now, it's growing pains offensively with the new group. But I thought that it was good that we tried to stick to our principles.
It felt like if you didn't have anything, guys were throwing it to the next guy, trying to get into another action. Sometimes it almost felt like we were too unselfish. And then all of a sudden it's six seconds left on the shot clock. But that's a better way of playing than we've been playing… So like I said, the more reps we have playing how we want to play, I think that we'll get better and better at those things.”
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez was pleased with his team's offensive process during the win.
“The ball has energy, and everybody touched the ball,” Fernandez said. “There was movement of the ball and movement of bodies. There are games that you're buying into doing the right things and the shots don't fall, but then you're playing defense, and you stay together. These are the most important ones to me.”
Porter and Randle will need to do a better job protecting the ball if the Nets hope to remain competitive. Brooklyn's lead duo has combined for 40 assists and 39 turnovers this season.
The Nets will return to action on Monday against the crosstown rival New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.