What to Make of the Nets' Offense in the Late Stages of the Season

Fans aren't frustrated with Brooklyn's losses, but if the team is going to fall short by these margins, there should be a level of concern.

Mar 16, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez reacts during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Another day, another brutal loss for the Brooklyn Nets. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, because the goal this season has been clear since October: develop young talent and set yourself up for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. This rebuilding group was expected to be a bottom feeder, and that they've been.

The Nets suffered a 114-95 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, trailing by as many as 31 points. Ben Saraf recorded a career-high 15 points, while Chaney Johnson put up 17 off the bench.

However, it was not enough to stop Deni Avdija (game-high 18 points) and the rest of Portland's starters, who combined for 73 points. Scott Henderson and Kris Murray poured in a combined 30 points in an extremely balanced scoring distribution for the Trail Blazers.

Monday's defeat was the Nets' fourth in a row and 51st of the season to put them at 17-51. Of those losses, 35 have been by 10 or more points. They avoided suffering their eighth 20-plus-point loss of the season against Portland.

Many fans on social media are rooting for Brooklyn to lose, but to drop games like this is a bit concerning, mostly due to the offensive output. Without Michael Porter Jr., who missed his third straight game on Monday, this team hasn't been able to score.

The Nets have yet to hit 100 points since March 10 against the Detroit Pistons (138-100), and are the only team to have averaged less than 100 in that stretch (97.3). Over the last four games, they have yet to shoot above 47% from the field and 34% from three-point range.

It's easy to say this is happening because Brooklyn lacks the talent to give a more advanced product on that end of the floor. But to go a bit deeper, this is the level of basketball fans are going to get as Jordi Fernández and the rest of the coaching staff try to develop five rookies.

This season, the Nets are 29th in offensive rating, but things have only gotten worse since Porter, Egor Dёmin and other key rotation players have gone down.

The offense has dipped due to the lack of a real engine and a lack of overall three-point shooting. Some of the youngsters (i.e. Saraf, Nolan Traoré) are impressive at slashing, but Dёmin was the only player shooting above 37% from deep while attempting more than five threes per game. In fact, he and Porter are the only players to be shooting above 35% on more than three attempts a night.

This is all expected, so there isn't too much concern. Defensively, Brooklyn has allowed fewer than 115 points in each of its last three games, which is certainly a positive. Just don't anticipate the offense to look much better in the Nets' final 14 games.