Three Takeaways From the Nets' Tight Loss to the Cavaliers

The Brooklyn Nets (15-45) returned to the Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon for a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24).

The losing streak was sitting at seven games when Sunday's game tipped off, and the Nets would look to end the streak without Egor Demin (foot) and Nic Claxton (thumb). While the losing streak hit eight games after a 106-102 loss, there was still a lot to like from Brooklyn in the game.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nets home loss to the Cavaliers.

New Look Bench Unit Impresses

Jordi Fernandez may have struck gold with his new bench unit, deployed on Sunday. Led by Danny Wolf and Grant Nelson, the Nets' bench was excellent against Cleveland. They were especially impressive in the second quarter, as they completely changed the tenor of the game and flipped the momentum in Brooklyn's direction.

Wolf finished the game with a career-high 23 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. It was another strong game from the former Michigan big man. In just his second game in Brooklyn, Nelson flashed great stuff again. He ended the afternoon with 11 points, four rebounds, and three blocks. Ziaire Williams and Josh Minott helped round out a great day for Brooklyn's bench. While it's a small sample size, this bench unit might be turning the corner.

Massive Defensive Improvement

Friday night's loss to Boston saw the Nets play their worst defensive game of the entire season, allowing the Celtics to score 148 points on 67% shooting from the field. It was an embarrassing defensive effort from an NBA team, and it's clear that Fernandez prioritized that end of the ball heading into Sunday.

Brooklyn's defense saw a massive improvement against the Cavs. They allowed 106 points on 49% shooting from the field. While the actual numbers are great, it was the small things that made all the difference. The Nets contested everything at the rim, got back in transition, and eliminated the easy buckets. This was the kind of effort that a team can build off of going forward.

Young Core Is Blossoming

Don't look now, but the Brooklyn Nets are quietly assembling one of the more underrated young cores in the NBA. Most of the pieces still need another year or two of development before they're truly ready to contend, but all of them are showing signs of being really good NBA players in the future.

On Sunday, Danny Wolf was incredible on the offensive side of the court. Nolan Traore scored in double figures again, continuing to add a scoring threat to his elite playmaking skills. On the season, Egor Demin, Day'Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney, and Ziaire Williams have played really well in spurts. With another lottery pick coming in the upcoming NBA Draft, this rebuild might not take as long as fans may think.