The Brooklyn Nets may have found the solution to their struggling offense on Wednesday. After failing to reach 100 points in three straight games, Jordi Fernandez's group continued to sputter offensively early against the Charlotte Hornets. Then, a Jordi Fernandez rotation adjustment helped turn the tide.
Fernandez benched Chaney Johnson and Keon Ellis for Danny Wolf and Terance Mann in the second half. Meanwhile, Noah Clowney exited early in the third quarter due to knee soreness. Those changes helped spark a 64-point second half for the Nets en route to a 114-104 victory.
Wolf's offensive punch and rookie Mikel Brown Jr.'s career-high 18 points helped Brooklyn regain the lead in the third quarter. Following the Nets' ugly fourth-quarter collapse against the New York Knicks, Michael Porter Jr. took them home on Wednesday, scoring 17 of his 26 points in the second half.
“Sometimes you see guys not having it… not having a good game. And then you want to find fresh legs and fresh energy,” Fernandez said when asked about benching Johnson and Ellis in favor of Wolf and Mann. “And I think [Danny and Terance] were hungry and ready to go, and they've prepared themselves so well. Otherwise, you can't go out there and perform like this. So searching, searching. And I think we came up with a good group, and it was a great home win for us. The fans deserved it.”
While Johnson, Ellis and Clowney have helped the Nets defensively, having all three in the rotation had become untenable offensively. The trio has combined to shoot 15-of-51 (29.4 percent) from the field and 5-of-29 (17.2 percent) from three, with nine assists and 11 turnovers over their last four games.
That lack of production proved costly during recent losses to the Detroit Pistons and Knicks. Brooklyn had scored under 25 points in eight of its last 14 quarters before the trio exited the rotation midway through Wednesday's win.
Danny Wolf jumpstarts Nets' sputtering offense during much-needed win over Hornets
The infusion of Wolf and Mann provided much-needed ball-handling and floor spacing alongside Julius Randle, Porter, Brown and Nolan Traore.
“I think the biggest staple of our team, especially our offensive identity, is supposed to be playing fast, playing with the pass,” Wolf said following the win. “We use the terminology pace and space. And I feel like there are times when we do it great, and then I think there are times, just with my play style, that I can really help us push the ball up the floor, make simple passes to start the break. And I think you get those, and you get momentum, and momentum is what helps win you a basketball game. And I think right to start the second half when I went in, there was a big Julius and-one bucket. And after that, I think you heard Barclays shift, and you have the fans behind you, and basketball's fun that way. It's how it's supposed to be played.”
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Despite his limited playing time through the Nets' first seven games, Wolf said he knew his number could be called at any time.
“In the NBA, there's going to be times, especially early in your career, that you might not be in the rotation. And that was the case [for me] when we started the year. But everyone emphasizes and preaches that you've got to be ready, and you hear it over and over: just make sure you're doing all your work, doing all your things to make sure that when your number gets called, you're ready. And I tried taking advantage of all the time I had. And when coach called my name in the second half, I was ready, and I was looking forward to that opportunity and tried doing everything I could to help the team win.”
Article Continues Below“I ain't going to lie. The difference tonight was Terance Mann and Danny Wolf,” Porter said. “They haven't been in the rotation much but came in ready to play. Terance is one of those guys where it doesn't matter how much he scores; he impacts the game so much with his IQ, his defensive ability, his connectivity, and his communication. So he's a pleasure to share the court with, one of my favorite teammates I've ever had. And Danny coming in and contributing right away, that takes a lot of readiness and a lot of discipline to not play for so many games, come in in the second half and to contribute the way he did.
I always thought Danny was a special player, and I've said that since he got here. I think he could do so many things on the basketball court, and I'm really happy that he got the opportunity. He was a plus 17. Terrance was a plus 11. So I'll say those two dudes, and then obviously Mikel was the other one. He had 18 points, but the shots he hit and the plays he made were big time. So yeah, those three guys really stood out for sure.”
Julius Randle posted 22 points and four assists on 7-of-13 shooting during the win. However, he played only three minutes during the fourth quarter. Fernandez said he planned to put Randle back in to close the game, but the veteran told him to leave the same five in after the Nets went on a run.
Nolan Traore added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from three in 27 minutes. Day'Ron Sharpe chipped in five points on 2-of-3 shooting with a career-high eight assists, one turnover and two blocks.
The Nets will return to action on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks as they kick off a four-game road trip.