Nets Lack One Specific Offensive Category Post NBA Trade Deadline

Brooklyn has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league lately.

Jan 15, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) dribbles between LA Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) and guard Bones Hyland (5) during the fourth quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets, despite having a 6-4 record across their last 10 games, are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA as of late. Since Feb. 1, the Nets have had the best defensive rating in the league at 105.8, yet rank 28th in offensive rating at 107.1.

Brooklyn sits 1.5 games out of the Play-In Tournament, and while its defense can certainly get the team within the top 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Nets' lack of offense has kept them at the 12th seed with a 20-35 record. There are multiple flaws in Brooklyn's offense, but one particular problem has plagued them post-NBA trade deadline.

The Nets' top two leaders in assist average this season are no longer on the roster. Ben Simmons, who led the team with 6.9 assists across 33 games this season, was bought out and is now with the LA Clippers. Dennis Schroder, the second-leading passer with 6.6 assists per game, was traded to the Golden State Warriors back in December.

D'Angelo Russell is next in line with 5.8 assists per game this season, but there is a notable dropoff after that. In fact, he and recently-signed Killian Hayes are the only point guards on the roster.

The Nets rank 28th in assists this season (23.6) and 24th in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.6). Brooklyn has a notable playmaking issue, and the lack of a point guard outside of Russell has plagued its offense. Not to mention, Russell has only played 17 games with the team, having been traded to the team in December. He's still relatively new to Jordi Fernandez's system.

There's still time for the Nets to fix this issue and improve the offense, but there are only 27 games left in the regular season. Over the last 10 games, Brooklyn is averaging just 100.4 points per game and ranks 29th in points per game all season (104.9). To put that into context, the Orlando Magic are 30th in points per game this season with 104.2.

Fernandez is still coaching the Nets in the early stages of a rebuild, so expectations aren't that high. Whether or not Brooklyn misses the postseason, the team will be focused on fixing its playmaking issue in the offseason.

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