Jordi Fernández is staring at one of the first uncomfortable calls of the season, and Moritz Wagner’s place in the rotation is right in the middle of it.
The numbers around Wagner have been ugly for Brooklyn. In the 60 minutes he’s been on the floor, the Nets have posted a minus-29.2 net rating, along with a 98.6 offensive rating and a 127.8 defensive rating, according to Databallr. When he’s off the court, those figures settle to minus-1.0, 112.9 and 113.9 across 130 minutes.
That gap sits alongside a stat line that doesn’t look nearly as damaging at first glance. Wagner is averaging 10.3 points on 50/60/75 shooting splits, plus 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He put up double digits in consecutive games against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
But Brooklyn’s problems have been on the defensive end, and Wagner has been part of that slide. The Nets have opened 0-5, and their lack of interior resistance has been a major issue. Wagner is not the rim-protecting backup center they need behind Day'Ron Sharpe, who also doesn’t fit that description.
Wagner made it clear at Brooklyn’s media day in September that shot-blocking around the rim is not really his game. He said he prefers to defend on the perimeter, which lines up with the more aggressive style Fernández wants to play.
There’s no question that part of Wagner’s appeal is his ability to switch and chase outside the paint. In the preseason, the 6-foot-10 center had four steals while guarding Joel Embiid at the 3-point line, and his pressure helped force a game-high eight turnovers. Still, that same willingness to step out can leave Brooklyn exposed near the basket.
And that’s where the damage has piled up. The Nets have given up 40-plus points in the paint in every game, including back-to-back 50-plus point outings by Indiana and Boston.
Fernández needs a fix, and one option is to trim Wagner’s minutes or remove him from the rotation altogether. The problem is that doing so would come with its own complications.
Brooklyn gave the 29-year-old a two-year, $18 million deal in free agency, with a mutual option for next year. Pulling him from the rotation after just five games would send a loud message.
The roster also leaves Fernández short on obvious answers. Wagner is the only backup big on hand, which means Brooklyn would have to turn to Julius Randle or Danny Wolf at small-ball center if he’s taken out of the mix.
There’s also the reality that five games is a tiny slice of an 82-game season. A major rotation shakeup this early would risk looking like a panic move.
Wagner still has a chance to change the conversation. He’ll get that next on Friday against the Detroit Pistons, when the Nets try to end a five-game losing streak and finally get their first win.
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Nets Young Core Ran Into The Same Frustrating Problem Again
Chaney Johnson got the start in place of Egor Dmin on Friday night, a change forced by the bone bruise that has sidelined Dmin and left Brooklyn shuffling its young lineup again. The Nets actually grabbed an early lead against Detroit, but the familiar issues followed soon after, with the offense bogging down and the shots not falling as the game wore on.
Brooklyns problems only deepened in the third quarter, when the Pistons started to separate and the Nets found themselves chasing a game that had gotten away from them. By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the bench group was getting extended run for Mikel Brown Jr., Danny Wolf and Drake Powell, another reminder that this still-developing roster is trying to find answers while searching for its first win of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Backcourt Shakeup Just Put One Rotation Battle In Focus
Jordi Fernandez is already reshuffling the Brooklyn backcourt three games into the season, and the move has quickly turned one of the rosters early questions into a live rotation battle. Nolan Traore got the nod in place of Keon Ellis and responded with a promising first start, finishing with 15 points and three assists before cramps forced him out of the game.
The bigger wrinkle is the health of Egor Demin, who had handled the point guard spot through the first three games before being sidelined. Chaney Johnson is set to start against the Detroit Pistons in his place, leaving Brooklyn to sort out both the short-term lineup and the longer-term fit in a backcourt that already looks unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Defense Still Has One Problem Jordi Fernndez Keeps Stressing
Communication keeps coming up as the Nets try to clean up their defense, and Jordi Fernndez has made it clear that the issue is less about effort than about keeping everyone on the same page once the ball is live. Brooklyn has leaned on a mix of voices to help with that, and veteran center Moritz Wagner has already stood out for the way he talks through coverages as he settles in with the group.
DayRon Sharpe and Michael Porter Jr. have both pointed to the same basic fix: quicker rotations and sharper communication from possession to possession. For a team still trying to find a more reliable defensive rhythm, those details matter because one late call or missed switch can undo several good seconds of work, which is exactly the sort of problem Fernndez keeps circling back to. [Read more 🡒]