Nets, Hornets embrace bright spots entering opener

With offseason talking points in the background, the repairing of reputations for the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets finally can begin.

The teams will meet in a season opener Wednesday night in Charlotte.

Neither team made the playoffs last season. Brooklyn won 26 games and Charlotte 19, and the Nets haven't won a playoff game since the spring of 2021.

"Now we're going into a real game," Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said, dismissing any preseason shortcomings.

The season should be a chance for Nets guard Cam Thomas to refresh his reputation as he remains with Brooklyn on a one-year contract. Thomas averaged 24 points and 3.8 assists per game last season.

"I don't think we'll have many problems," Fernandez said. "His shot (attempts) is going to go up. We need him to score and play-make and keep getting better defensively."

Second-year Charlotte coach Charles Lee said he likes the team's direction despite guiding a club that needs to upgrade from being merely an afterthought in the NBA pecking order.

"We did a great job last year of changing our habits and changing our ways," Lee said.

The Hornets have been one of the bottom teams in the NBA in recent years. But they have one of the star players in point guard LaMelo Ball.

"He showed his willingness to want to get his teammates open," Lee said. "Sometimes he gets a bad reputation for just wanting to score, but I actually think he's much more dynamic than that. He's much more well-rounded. ... He gets excited to get another teammate open to get a bucket or get a lob."

Ball, 24, is entering his sixth NBA season, though he has largely been hampered by injuries. He played in 47 games last year, marking his most in a three-season stretch. He averaged 25.2 points and 7.4 assists in those 47 games.

Lee has endorsed Ball's offseason efforts, which the coach hopes will translate into additional leadership roles.

"With his continued work in the weight room, he also has added some lean muscle mass," Lee said. "Which then gives you the confidence to continue to want to be physical, too, and accept physicality as well."

Meanwhile, Charlotte forward Miles Bridges said he's ready to be more consistent after getting in better shape in the offseason.

"So I'm feeling good," said Bridges, who averaged 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game last season. "Our offense is based on us running, so in order for me to be great in this offense, and in this defense, to play both sides of the floor, I got to be in great shape."

Fernandez has given a thumbs-up to rookie Egor Demin, 19, one of the young point guards on the Nets' roster.

"They're going to get thrown into the fire," Fernandez said. "We're going to trust them. I want all of them to keep being positive."

The Hornets have been plagued by shoddy defense, among other things, in recent years. But Lee has done his part in hyping up areas that he thinks are up to standard, and that includes 6-foot-10 forward Moussa Diabate.

"He's one of the best on-ball defenders, in my opinion, in the league," Lee said.

Charlotte went 1-3 against Brooklyn last season.

--Field Level Media