One outlet's newest power rankings brought praise but brutal honesty for Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Nets find themselves red-hot with winning three of their last four games -- enough to move them up in one outlet's power rankings.
The downside, though, is that Brooklyn still earned a low grade.
The Athletic dropped its latest NBA rankings for the entire league and has the Nets no longer flirting with the bottom. Brooklyn jumped five spots to No. 24 by the national publication.
Law Murray handed the franchise a 112.3 offensive rating, enough for 23rd. The defense settled for 27th place at 117.8.
Despite the December turnaround, Murray remains unconvinced about the state of the 2025-26 Nets.
"This Nets team was not supposed to be good, and they lost four times as many games as they won over the first 20 games of the season," Murray said.
The NBA writer then pointed out one historic flaw attached to the Nets.
"That’s the worst start for the Nets since the franchise was in New Jersey and started 1-19 in 2009," Murray said.
He's also not convinced about the defensive side of the court involving Brooklyn.
"This is the worst defense Brooklyn has ever had, and it particularly struggles to defend inside," Murray said.
Yet after blasting the Nets, he believes the upcoming week promises to become a blessing and a curse for the franchise.
"But if you want the Nets to win, this was a good week. And if you want the Nets to lose, then they’re still in decent lottery shape," Murray said.
Brooklyn currently has the fifth-best lottery odds to land the No. 1 overall pick. Even Michael Porter Jr, as fans across the league wondering how much longer he can stay with the Nets. Porter Jr. is still thought of as a trade possibility with Brooklyn still 11 games below the .500 mark.
The Nets have other option who could potential move. Noah Clowney is one who Sean Marks could consider moving in order to gain new draft capital. He's yet to sign his next contract as he remains on his rookie deal.
Fortunately for Brooklyn, there's no chatter of a "fire sale" approach with this roster. Second-leading scorer Cam Thomas (21.4 points per game) is likely staying around as long as he can. Nic Claxton delivered a big night in the win over the Pelicans with a triple-double -- making him a hard one to move too.
But Murray still believes the Nets need defensive improvement. They now belong in the "not the tier to fear" category with a D- grade so far this season.