Trevon Scott's Debut a Takeaway as Nets Drop One to Hawks

The Brooklyn Nets (18-59) hit the court on Friday night for their first game in April against the Atlanta Hawks (44-33).

The Nets were coming off a blowout loss to the Hornets and looking to solidify their spot in the NBA Draft Lottery with another loss to a hot Hawks squad. They did just that, never leading in a wire-to-wire 141-107 loss to Atlanta.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets home loss to the Hawks.

1. Malachi Smith Impressed

Malachi Smith was playing in just his 10th NBA game on Friday, and he had the best game of his young career so far. The former Gonzaga Bulldog finished the night with 15 points in just 17 minutes. He took advantage of the opportunity for more playing time and turned it into a great performance.

With the number of young guards on the roster and a top pick coming this offseason, there probably isn't a spot for Smith in Brooklyn next season. But these final few games are still very important for him. It's his time to make a pitch to the rest of the NBA that he can be a quality player in this league. More games like the one he had on Friday will go a long way.

2. Trevon Scott Debuts

Trevon Scott is an incredible story of resiliency and never giving up on your dreams. After spending four seasons at Cincinnati, Scott has spent the last six years playing basketball all over the world. He did have a cup of coffee in the NBA with the Cavaliers in 2021-22, but only appeared in two games. He's grinded through the G-League and got his opportunity to return to the NBA on Friday.

In his Nets debut, Scott had six points and two rebounds in eight minutes. While he didn't get in the game until the fourth quarter, this was still a memorable moment for him and the rest of the team. Brooklyn has nothing tangible to play for down the stretch, but moments like these can help ease the burden of what's been a very difficult season.

3. Defense Didn't Show Up

The Nets' defense was asleep at the wheel for the entire night. It didn't matter who was on the court, what the matchups were, or how close the game was. Atlanta was getting buckets at ease on Friday, finishing with 141 points. They shot 57% from the field and 50% from behind the arc.

This is the kind of defensive effort that will keep Jordi Fernandez up at night. There was nobody on the Brooklyn roster who saw the court in this game who played defense at the level that was needed to compete. With just a few games left in this campaign, that side of the ball needs to find some consistency heading into the offseason.