Julius Randle Shines as Nets Drop Season Opener 110-103 Against Hornets

After a strong preseason effort, the Brooklyn Nets dropped their season opener on Wednesday night, falling 110-103 against the Charlotte Hornets.

It was a tightly contested game throughout, but Brooklyn struggled to generate offense outside of the forward pair of Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.

Randle, who was the Nets' most-notable acquisition of the offseason, was the best player on the floor.

Across both squads, Randle was the top scorer (33) and assist-man (7), while adding eight rebounds and a block.

As he had demonstrated throughout his NBA career, Randle got his way to the free-throw line for easy points, converting on 8-of-11 attempts.

With Porter struggling to get going early, Randle carried the brunt of the scoring load early, notching 15 points at the halftime break.

The 3-time All-Star also was Brooklyn's top playmaker, generating open looks for his teammates early and often.

The Nets as a whole were struggling to generate high-percentage looks in the opening half, with Randle's downhill ability being a lone exception.

Second-year guard Egor Dëmin struggled on the offensive end, making just two field goals and scoring ten points.

Going forward, the Nets are hoping this is an anomaly performance from their sophomore BYU product, as Dëmin has been projected to make a big jump.

But, despite the overall struggles, the Nets remained in striking distance throughout the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Nets made a strong push for the lead behind Porter's improved scoring, but were unable to fully capitalize on the momentum.

Porter did finish with a strong night on the score sheet, notching 26 points and five made 3-pointers.

Going forward, it is clear that the Porter-Randle dynamic will be driving the ship for the Nets, as Mikel Brown Jr. gets to full health.

It was a quiet debut for Brown, who scored just six points in 20 minutes of play off the bench.

The former Louisville standout did record three assists, making some good reads in the half court, but it was a mundane overall performance.

As he continues to get healthier and more-acclimated to the speed of the NBA, expect Brown to get more minutes and opportunity.

For the team as a whole, head coach Jordi Fernández has two full days to dial up a game plan and respond against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

The Cavs are yet to make their season debut, but remain one of the Eastern Conference powerhouses.