Nets Keep Falling in Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets continue to drop in the NBA power rankings.

Jan 19, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Ducas (88) attempts a three point basket as Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets were 9-10 to start the season, but now they are beginning to look more like the bottom-feeder team many expected them to be at the start of the year.

The Nets competed hard at the beginning of the year, but injuries and trades have caught up, and now the team is going through the motions.

NBA.com writer John Schuhmann conducted his weekly power rankings and moved the Nets down two slots from No. 26 to 28.

"The Nets got a win in Portland last week, but are now 5-19 (somehow two teams have been worse) since Thanksgiving, and they lost by 59 to the Clippers on Wednesday," Schuhmann writes.

"The Nets have played 26 of their 43 games on the road, and they’ll now play 10 of their next 12 at home, where they’ve scored just 101 points per 100 possessions as they’ve lost seven straight. They’ve also lost eight straight games to the Knicks, who they’ll host on Tuesday."

A big reason behind the team's struggles has come on the offensive end, mainly because the best scorers on the team cannot find ways to stay healthy.

"Over their 19 games before Thanksgiving, the Nets had a top-10 offense. They rank last on offense since then, and their 67 points on 96 possessions (69.8 per 100) against the Clippers was the least efficient game for any team (regular season or playoffs) since Nov. 14, 2018 (when the Jazz scored 68 on 101 in a 50-point loss at Dallas)," Schuhmann writes.

"The Nets have been solid offensively since Christmas with their best players on the floor, but their best players haven’t played much. After Cam Johnson returned from a five-game absence and scored 24 points in the Nets’ win in Portland, he missed the next two games. Cam Thomas, meanwhile, has missed 23 of the last 25 games."

The Nets will look to get back in the win column tonight as they host the New York Knicks at the Barclays Center. Then, the team welcomes Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns to town on the second night of a back-to-back before the Miami Heat visit on Saturday night.

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.