Player grades: Lonnie Walker IV goes off as Nets beat Heat 107-104
The Brooklyn Nets visited Kaseya Center on Wednesday to take on the Miami Heat for Brooklyn’s preseason finale and won 107-104.
For the Nets, Lonnie Walker IV had 22 points and four rebounds while Day’Ron Sharpe had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Cam Thomas had 14 points and Mikal Bridges had 11 points.
For the Heat, Haywood Highsmith had 15 points and three rebounds while Cole Swider had 15 points and two rebounds. Bam Adebayo had 14 points and Duncan Robinson had 12 points.
In the first half, Brooklyn started the game in a shaky fashion as they couldn’t buy a bucket while they couldn’t stop the Heat from scoring at will. The second quarter was somewhat of a different story as the Nets were not giving up as many easy looks, but Miami was still able to score with relative ease.
In the second half, the Nets seemed to be the ones dictating the tempo as they were making an effort to get out and run at any chance they had. Brooklyn was able to build up a decent lead before Jacque Vaughn took out Mikal Bridges and Ben Simmons.
Here are the player grades for Wednesday’s preseason game:
Ben Simmons: C-
Simmons is still not attacking the basket with authority if he knows that he’s not going to dunk the ball. Players with the ball in their hands for most of a game will have their share of turnovers, but some of Simmons’ turnovers comes from being reluctant to score as opposed to trying difficult passes. Simmons has now received two technical fouls this preseason so one has to wonder if this will be a problem during the regular season.
Spencer Dinwiddie: B-
Dinwiddie is doing a good job of having some control of the game when Ben Simmons is not in to handle the ball. Dinwiddie is shooting well above his average from deep, but the way that he’s getting his threes so far this preseason (catch-and-shoot) is more in-line with his better shooting performances.
Mikal Bridges: C-
Bridges is having a tough time shooting the ball in this game as most of his shots have been contested mid-range jumpers. While Bridges made a living on that type of shot last season, now that everyone knows what he’s capable of, it will be harder for him to get good looks on those actions. It seems that Bridges missing shots is starting to get in his head as he looks to be forcing the shot at times just wanting for the ball to go through the basket.
Dorian Finney-Smith: B
Finney-Smith has been doing a good job all offseason of waiting patiently for his looks from deep and so far, it seems that his shooting is trending up from what it was last season. It looks like he’s trying to experiment with making some plays off the dribble and while he hasn’t had good results with that type of play yet, it could be something to watch out for as this season goes on.
Nic Claxton: B+
Claxton hasn’t been getting many shots within the offense, but he has done a good job of not trying anything outside of his skill set. Obviously, Claxton is doing his part in the rebounding department and defending the rim, but he has to try to use his body on the defensive end more. Bam Adebayo was getting too many open looks at the free-throw line which has to be a no-no for effective defense.
Cam Thomas: C-
Thomas is having a rough time scoring his points within the flow of the offense as he usually needs to take a dribble or two before he shoots the ball. Part of the issue with Thomas is that when the ball is in his hands, the offense seems to stop as Thomas tries to make a decision on what he wants to do with the ball. He had a few instances in just the first half alone when he missed a wide-open teammate spotting up from three. One thing to point out about Thomas is his uncanny ability to make threes while being fouled.
Day'Ron Sharpe: A
Sharpe has looked solid in this one after a shaky start when it seems that he couldn’t hold on to the ball or work hard enough to seal his man when catching the ball. However, Sharpe has been solid offensively when he gets his hands on the ball and he has been working hard on the boards.
Royce O'Neale: B+
O’Neale did a good job of shooting the three-ball in this one. It seems that his penchant for handling the ball in the open floor every so often and making a spectacular play has not been there, but it could be in the right scenario. O’Neale has been doing his job on the glass and it looks like he is still able to defend across multiple positions.
Lonnie Walker IV: B
Walker has done a good job of being aggressive on the offensive end of the floor as that will probably be his primary role during the regular season. One thing that’s encouraging to see from Walker is his willingness to drive to the rim when his three-point shot isn’t falling. While he’s not exactly a stalwart defender, Walker does compete on the defensive end and he’s not afraid to cover for his teammates.
