Brooklyn Nets Open Preseason With Encouraging 3-Point Shooting Performance

The Nets were the league's worst shooting team a season ago, but things may be much different in 2026-27.

Oct 6, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) shoots the ball against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping to get back into the postseason in 2027, and their outside shooting to open the preseason was an encouraging sign.

On Tuesday night, the Nets opened their preseason slate with a dominant 124-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets. While the win came against a Hornets squad that was missing a large chunk of the rotation, the Nets’ 34-point win was exactly what they should be doing against that type of competition. 

There were plenty of intriguing storylines from the game, ranging from the debut of Julius Randle in a Nets jersey to Day’Ron Sharpe’s first game as the full-time starting center. Although those storylines will persist for a variety of reasons throughout the season, the Nets’ outside shooting may have been the most interesting piece of their big win.

Against Charlotte, the Nets shot 20-of-37 from beyond the arc, good for a blistering 54.1% clip. Obviously, no team will be able to shoot that well from deep range on a nightly basis, but that sort of output is still incredibly encouraging for Jordi Fernandez’s team.

Last season, the Nets were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, hitting only 34% of their outside looks across 82 games. To say the 54.1% mark Brooklyn had from outside on Tuesday night is uncharted territory is an understatement.

In 2025-26, the Nets only hit at least half of their 3-point attempts in a game once, shooting 51.5% on 33 attempts in a March game against Memphis. The Nets also hit the 45% mark from deep as a team only three times all season, so shooting nearly 10% better than that in their first 48 minutes of preseason action is something to watch.

It’s also worth noting that the Nets’ performance in Charlotte was consistent with their shot diet from last season. On Tuesday, the Nets took just over 46% of their shots from deep, which is right in line with their 45.5% rate last season.

Obviously, there are plenty of factors that will go into Brooklyn’s ability to compete for a playoff spot in the East, but shooting significantly better from beyond the arc while maintaining its volume from last season would be massive. A one-game sample size should still be taken quite lightly, but the Nets never had a game where they shot this well last season, and that alone should lead to some optimism in Brooklyn.