Nets' Stars Reject Tanking Notion

The Brooklyn Nets went into this season as clear underdogs, with the expectations by many to see them in the midst of a rebuild, which could be reflected in their projected wins total; 19.5 games.

Several things would only seem to help fuel this narrative throughout the season, including the long-term injuries to star players such as Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson or the departure of Denis Schroder, who was traded to the Golden State Warriors in early December.

With the highly sought-after draft prospect Cooper Flagg appearing to be in the upcoming draft, some fans weren’t too worried about the notion that if Brooklyn were to tank, they’d land a better shot at getting the first overall pick.

Despite all of this, the Nets have proven to be more than what people had expected, as they've managed to get their act straight throughout February, winning five of their last six games, which has seen them surpass their projected wins total.

With their win against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn had just tied their opponents for the same record, 20-34, meaning they no longer sit within the top six teams in the lottery odds.

Nets just beat the 76ers

Philly moves back into their top-6 protected range (otherwise OKC gets the pick)

Note: the site uses losing streak as the tiebreaker. In reality, it would be a random drawing between the end of the reg season and the lottery pic.twitter.com/O5sIPjjruu
— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) February 13, 2025

Given this, there was some disdain regarding the Nets' win on Wednesday night, which some of the players addressed in their post-game press conferences, including Nic Claxton.

The 25-year-old is more than aware of the fan's desire to see them lose, citing it as a part of the industry while stating that his team will always go out and give their best effort on the court.

"It's a part of the business, we're not naïve to it, the fans being upset when we win, that's just what it is," explained Claxton. "It's just a part of it, we work so hard every single day so we can't try to lose games, we're going to go out and try to win every game.

Wanting your team to lose could be difficult for some athletes to understand, but Claxton was more empathetic towards the matter while doubling down on the Nets' desire to do their best.

"I understand where the fans are coming from," stated Claxton. "I feel why they'd want us to lose this year and everything... but we want to win."

While Claxton was more accepting of the fan's side, the aforementioned Johnson didn't share this sentiment, saying that the team doesn't listen to outside noise.

"We do not care what they say about that," exclaimed Johnson. "Listen, at the end of the day, the 15 -18 guys on this team have a job to do; our job is to not try to get a draft pick. Our job is to simply win basketball games, and that's what we're gonna put our full effort towards."

The five-year veteran would go on to state that fans who want Brooklyn to tank aren't true fans of the organization.

"If that's what they think, they're not really a fan," stated Johnson. "They don't want us to succeed, ask our own players to lose; we're not going to do that; we're out there to compete, win every game, and fight back."

Following the upcoming All-Star break, Brooklyn has 28 games left to go, with several of them against the other teams in the lottery race, it'll be something to keep an eye on.

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