A Brutal Season Opener
The Brooklyn Nets tipped off their season in familiar fashion — with a loss.
The 136–117 beating they took from the Charlotte Hornets wasn’t just another “bad night.” It was an early sign of what this team really is: unprepared, uninspired, and uninterested in winning.
The Hornets — yes, the same Hornets who haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015–16 season — ran circles around Brooklyn. Charlotte looked like a team with purpose. Brooklyn looked like a team trying to find the exit.
🐝 Charlotte Came to Play — Brooklyn Didn’t
Brandon Miller, playing his first game since January, dropped 25 points, reminding everyone why he was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Miles Bridges added 18 points and 11 rebounds, while LaMelo Ball did what he always does — filling the stat sheet with 20 points and 8 assists.
The Hornets even made a little history, starting two rookies — Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner — for the first time in franchise history. Both scored in double digits, helping Charlotte shoot 53% from the field and a deadly 47% from three.
Meanwhile, the Nets?
Nic Claxton led the way with 17 points, Cam Thomas added 15, and that’s about where the highlights ended. Brooklyn was outshot, outworked, and out-rebounded 50–38. They looked like a team in preseason form while Charlotte looked playoff-ready.
💸 The Problem Starts at the Top
This isn’t just about one game. It’s about how the Nets are built — or rather, how they aren’t.
Who in their right mind trades for five first-round picks and uses them on five inexperienced players, none of them close to being a generational talent?
This isn’t rebuilding.
This is budget basketball — a team built to save money, not win games.
You can almost feel it in the way they play — no leadership, no chemistry, no identity. This organization has shifted its focus from chasing banners to pursuing bargain deals.
🏀 From Contenders to Pretenders
Let’s not forget — it wasn’t too long ago that the Nets had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
Now? They’ve got a bench full of maybes, could-bes, and not-yets.
When you look at this roster, it’s hard to find a single player who scares anyone defensively or demands a double team offensively.
It’s a franchise that went from “title contender” to “tank contender” in record time.
And nights like this — losing by nearly 20 to a team that’s been irrelevant for a decade — make one thing painfully clear: the losing will continue.