How Can the Nets Supercharge the Offense?

Tuesday night's loss against the San Antonio Spurs showed fans of the Brooklyn Nets something that they haven't gotten to see a lot of this season: the backcourt pairing of D'Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas.

The Nets were deprived of this partnership mainly due to injuries, as when Russell was traded to Brooklyn in late December, it coincided with Thomas' return to the bench after he suffered from a strain in his left hamstring. On the inverse, when Thomas came back from injury earlier on in the month, Russell went out with a right ankle sprain, which meant he was out for five games.

However, as previously established, the Brooklyn faithful finally got a full look at what their new backcourt pairing will look like going forward, with the partnership combining for 36 points and ten assists against the Spurs on Tuesday night.

Despite not leaving with the win, the Nets managed to put up 113 points, which is eight points over their average of 105 points per game, a number that puts them in the lower tiers of the NBA, only beating out the Orlando Magic by less than a point.

This low scoring offense can be attributed to the Nets' varying struggles across the board, as they rank towards the lower ends of the league in field goals made, attempted, with their shortcomings extending beyond the arch, ranking 27th for three-point percentage.

However, with Thomas looking to be clear of his minute restrictions following his return to the court, it appears that the Nets could have found their solution for their offensive woes, as the 23-year-old is their leading scorer this season, averaging 24 points on 44 percent from the field.

His work from beyond the arc could be his biggest asset to Jordi Fernandez, who has been open about wanting Brooklyn to shoot the three-ball more often in the past, as he averages 7.7 attempts from downtown across his 21 starts this year.

Pair this shot making with the vision that Russell possesses as he is averaging 5.7 assists, which is the highest on the team, only being followed by Thomas at 3.4 per game.

While the data of these two sharing the court has been limited at best, only appearing in two matches so far, it appears that in those two games, the Nets as a whole are able to score more and provide a greater challenge for their opponents, meaning that it'll be something to keep an eye on as things start to get into the business end of the NBA season.

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