Tag: TJ Warren

TJ Warren is already playing like the biggest steal of the offseason for the scorching-hot Nets

Brooklyn’s offensive rating with Warren on the floor is hilariously good.

The Brooklyn Nets are playing extremely well with T.J. Warren in the lineup, and suddenly, they look like serious contenders to win the championship.

After being named All-Bubble First Team in 2020, due to a stress fracture, Warren played just four games in 2020-21 and then miss all of last season. Out of sight and out of mind, he signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Nets during this past offseason.

Although he missed the first 23 games of the season, Warren made his debut for Brooklyn on Dec. 2. Since then, the Nets are 9-1 in games he has played thus far and they show no signs of slowing down.

Most notably, Warren had his best game of the season on Monday, recording 23 points (9-14 FG, 2-4 3P) against the Cavaliers. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both had 20-point performances as well.

There was little doubt, however, that Warren (who dropped 53 points on Philadelphia in the bubble) could score. His jumper is efficient off the catch, off the dribble, and from midrange and he apparently hasn’t lost any of his athleticism on his dunks.

But there are also areas where Warren actually looks better than ever.

His defense looks very solid and his ball control looks good, too, as his turnover rate (5.1 percent) is currently the best of his career and ranks in the 95th percentile among all forwards, per Cleaning the Glass.

Additionally, his playmaking has taken a significant leap forward as well. Just watch this alley-oop pass to Ben Simmons from last week:

His assist-to-usage ratio, which is used to measure how often a player recorded an assist relative to how often they had the ball, had never ranked better than the 17th percentile among players at his position.

This season, however, Warren ranks in the 70th percentile for this metric.

Warren is having a career-best campaign for frequency recording potential assists, via PBPStats. This is an incredibly important development for the 6-foot-8 forward:

Season Team Potential Assists Per 100 Possessions
2014-15 Phoenix Suns 5.46
2015-16 Phoenix Suns 4.76
2016-17 Phoenix Suns 4.56
2017-18 Phoenix Suns 4.48
2018-19 Phoenix Suns 5.60
2019-20 Phoenix Suns 4.18
2021-21 Indiana Pacers 3.64
2022-23 Brooklyn Nets 7.55

This has translated well for Brooklyn’s star-powered offense, which has scored an additional 14.3 points per 100 possessions when Warren is on the court relative to when he is not.

Brooklyn’s offensive rating with Warren (124.3) is the best among all players in the NBA who have logged at least 15 minutes per game.

Expectedly, that spikes even higher (138.1) when Warren plays alongside Durant and Irving, which would be the best offense among all 3-man lineups (minimum: 35 minutes) so far in 2022-23.

Warren makes an intimidating offense even more dominant when he plays alongside Durant and Irving. But if he can provide scoring help during the minutes when Durant and Irving are not on the court, when the Nets are currently getting killed, it will be crucial for their postseason success.

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Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 32 in Nets’ intense 125-117 win over the Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving dropped 32 points in the Nets’ 125-117 win over the Cavs.

The Brooklyn Nets took a trip on Monday to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers and won 125-117. Brooklyn now leads the regular-season series 1-0.

For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 32 points and five assists while Kevin Durant had 32 points and nine rebounds. TJ Warren had 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Nic Claxton had 10 points and two blocks.

For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland had 46 points and eight assists while Donovan Mitchell had 15 points and five assists. Evan Mobley had 12 points and six rebounds as Cedi Osman had 11 points and two assists off the bench.

This became a game of who was better from behind the three-point line. Brooklyn shot 60% from three-point while the Cavs shot 36.1%. It looks like the Nets concentrated of closing out on the Cavs and making them take mid-range shots or drive to the rim.

Brooklyn won the rebounding battle 38-33, but allowed Cleveland to win the points in the paint battle 48-34. Ultimately, the Nets had everything working in this game as they led by as much as 19 points that gave them the cushion to withstand the Cavs run in the fourth quarter.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant scores 24 in Nets’ 118-100 win over Bucks

Kevin Durant scores 24 points in the convincing 118-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

New York — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Milwaukee Bucks to Barclays Center on Friday and won 118-100. This is the second time that these teams have played each other this season.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 24 points and six assists while Nic Claxton had 19 points and eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving had 18 points and Royce O’Neale had 17.

For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 13 rebounds as Brook Lopez had 23 points and five rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 18 points and Bobby Portis had 10 points off the bench.

The Nets won this game because of their ability to shoot the ball from behind the three-point line. The Bucks struggled mightily from the three as it looked like the Nets emphasized closing out on shooters.

The Nets also made the offense easy as they piled up assists by sharing the ball and looking for the open man whenever possible. Brooklyn was able to break down the Bucks’ defense and as a result of that, a lot of guys got wide open shots in this convincing win over Milwaukee.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant swishes 23 as Nets steamroll Warriors 143-113

Nets take care of business against the Warriors

The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the short-handed Golden State Warriors to Barclays Center on Wednesday and won 143-133. The Nets are now on a seven-game winning streak and have won 11 of their past 12 games.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 23 points and seven rebounds while Edmond Sumner had 16 points and two assists off the bench. Royce O’Neale had 14 points and Patty Mills had 13 points off the pine.

For the Warriors, James Wiseman had 30 points and six rebounds while Moses Moody had 17 points and three assists. Patrick Baldwin Jr. had 17 points as a reserve and Ty Jerome had 14 points.

This game became lopsided very fast as the Nets were on fire from the field. It was clear that the Warriors were beat up as they did not have the services of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, or Andrew Wiggins. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving was a late scratch because of tightness in his right calf, but it looked like the Nets didn’t need his services to win this game.

The Warriors did a good job of out-rebounding the Nets and did not have the worst game offensively, but it was clear that they did not have the firepower to keep up with the Nets. Brooklyn found itself getting wide open shots on virtually every possession as it looks like the Warriors were tired and wanted to just go home.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant erupts for 43 points as the Nets beat the Pistons 124-121

Kevin Durant showed off what he could do despite being down as many as 19 points

The Brooklyn Nets came to Little Caesars Arena, but it was to take on the Detroit Pistons, not get some pizza. The Nets did more than get some cheese slices as they came away with a 124-121 win that shouldn’t have been that close.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 43 points and six rebounds while Kyrie Irving had 38 points and three assists. Royce O’Neale had 11 points as the only other Net who had double-figures in scoring.

For the Pistons, Bojan Bogdanovic had 26 points and four assists while Jaden Ivey had 19 points and four rebounds. Killian Hayes had 10 points and eight assists.

This game started in an unexpected way. Not only was it expected for the Nets to run away with this game, but the Pistons ambushed the Nets in the first quarter like Brooklyn was supposed to do to them. It was clear that the Nets came into this game underestimating Detroit missing Cade Cunningham.

The Pistons shot the ball well in the beginning, but that shooting came back down to earth once the Nets woke up in the second half. Detroit played their defensive coverages by shutting down the role players thereby hoping that Durant and Irving had off nights.

Well, that didn’t happen and if anything, the role players of the Nets were more confident in their games after seeing Durant and Irving go off.

Here are your Nets player grades:

Player grades: Kyrie Irving nets 32 points, hits game-winner in Nets’ win over Raptors

Kyrie Irving called game and sent the Raptors back home with the loss.

The Brooklyn Nets paid a visit to The North on Friday to take on the Toronto Raptors and came away with a 119-116 victory.

For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 32 points (including the walk-off three over VanVleet) and five assists while Kevin Durant had 28 points and four rebounds. Nic Claxton had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks while Yuta Watanabe had 17 points and three rebounds off the bench.

For the Raptors, Fred VanVleet had 39 points and five rebounds and Scottie Barnes had 26 points and three rebounds. Pascal Siakam had 17 points and seven rebounds while Malachi Flynn had 13 points off the bench.

This was a physical game as the Raptors roughed up the Nets all game. Even though Brooklyn has been talking about shortening the gap in terms of shots, but that did not happen in this game.

Brooklyn did not start this game well as they struggled to play against the physical nature of the Raptors. The Nets used the third quarter to get back in the game and they won the battle of the boards 37-32.

Here are your Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant drops 30 as Nets beat Wizards 112-100

Here are the Nets’ player grades for Monday’s win.

The Brooklyn Nets paid a visit to the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Monday and came away with a convincing 112-100 victory. The Nets now lead the regular-season series 3-0.

For the Nets, Kevin Durant had 30 points and nine rebounds while Kyrie Irving had 24 points and five assists. TJ Warren had 12 points off the bench and Joe Harris had 11 points.

For the Wizards, Will Barton had 22 points and seven assists off the bench while Kyle Kuzma had 20 points and seven rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and three rebounds (before leaving the game with back tightness) and Jordan Goodwin had 11 points.

This was a convincing win for the Nets as they led for much of the game behind the play of Durant and Irving. Nic Claxton got into foul trouble in the first half trying to guard Porzingis and with Claxton out of the game, the Wizards were able to attack the rim with good success. The Nets lost the rebounding battle to the Wizards 44-41 and that’s what kept Washington in the game for as long as they did.

Brooklyn added seven blocks to their resume as the best shot-blocking team in the NBA and that was surprising given that Claxton did not play his usual minutes because of foul trouble. The Nets took advantage of scoring in transition and trying to score in the paint whenever possible.

Here are your Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant scores 34 as Nets beat Hawks 120-116

Here are the Nets player grades in the win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and won 120-116. This was the first of four meetings between the two teams this season.

Kevin Durant had 34 points and five assists for the Nets and Kyrie Irving had 33 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Warren had 14 points off the bench and Seth Curry scored 11 points off the pine.

Trae Young had 33 points and nine assists for the Hawks and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 31 points off the bench. Clint Capel had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Neither team played much defense, as expected, but the Nets made more shots when the game mattered. Brooklyn had its offense flowing all night and they did a good job of staying competitive on the boards despite being undersized compared to Atlanta.

The Nets turned the ball over too much and they still struggle with defending the paint. Brooklyn led by as much as 12 points in this game despite the Hawks missing Dejounte Murray, John Collins, and De’Andre Hunter.

In the end, Brooklyn did a good job of limiting Young in the second half and Durant and Irving carried the team offensively. This was a good win for the Nets, albeit underwhelming, without Yuta Watanabe and Nic Claxton.

Here are the Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kyrie Irving scores 33 to lead Nets over Hornets

Here are the Nets’ player grades for their win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for the second of four matchups this season and won 122-118. Brooklyn now leads the regular-season series 2-0.

Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and had nine assists for the Nets while Kevin Durant had 29 points and nine rebounds. Seth Curry scored 20 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 14 points and seven rebounds.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets while Terry Rozier had 29 points and five assists. Jalen McDaniels had 19 points and Mason Plumlee had 13 points.

The Nets did not play much defense in this one as they were just so good on offense that it didn’t matter. The Hornets were able to get just about any shot they wanted, but wasn’t as efficient from the field.

The Hornets had a poor performance from the free-throw line and that helped out the Nets. However, the second half got away from the Nets as they were unable to continue their offensive explosion into the third quarter.

This game got close late as Brooklyn had some trouble defending the dribble and the pick-and-roll. The Hornets were able to be carried by Rozier and Oubre Jr. until the very end.

Here are the Nets’ player grades:

Player grades: Kevin Durant scores 31 points as Nets fall to the Celtics

Here are the Nets’ player grades for their loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Boston Celtics on Sunday and lost 103-92. This was the first of four games that the teams will play between now and March as Boston leads the regular-season series 1-0.

Kevin Durant had 31 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the Nets while Kyrie Irving had 18 points and eight rebounds. Joe Harris scored 13 points and had six rebounds,

Jaylen Brown had 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks for the Celtics while Jayson Tatum had 29 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals with nine turnovers. Malcolm Brogdon had 13 points and seven assists off the bench.

Boston was essentially in control of the game from the beginning. Every time Brooklyn made a run, Boston made a play or three to quell the Nets’ momentum and go up by six to eight points.

Durant was the offense for the Nets in this game and the Celtics have too good of a team defense for one person to beat them. The Nets looked fatigued with head coach coach Jacque Vaughn going only eight players deep in the rotation. The Nets lost this game because of poor ball-handling  and poor transition defense.

Here are the Nets’ player grades for their loss to the Celtics: