Brooklyn watched the upcoming free agent deliver a career-best mark despite the lopsided loss.
Someone needed to answer the bell of handling the lead scoring duties for the Brooklyn Nets.
Few, however, had Tyson Etienne leading the charge against the Portland Trail Blazers. Which likely sealed his 2026-27 fate...by staying on board with the Nets.
Etienne dropped a career-high 18 points despite taking the 134-99 rout inside the Moda Center on Monday night.
Etienne was supposed to be relegated to reserve bench duty for Brooklyn. Nolan Traore, Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton, Josh Minott and Jalen Wilson all earned the starter minutes ahead of the game.
But Etienne carried the lead scoring duty once again...and on a night the Nets were still missing lead scorer Michael Porter Jr., plus rookie sharp shooter Egor Demin.
Now he's sparked this conversation: Why Brooklyn should keep him.
How was Etienne able to ready himself for the role of top scoring option?
"Honestly, what it's always been is play hard. Give it as much effort as possible. [Head] coach [Jordi Fernandez] talks about having smart effort too," Etienne told reporters after the game.
But the night became more about playing hard and giving an effort for Etienne.
"Being in the right spot, understanding what's going on. Just giving as much effort as we possibly can while still sharpening our IQ," Etienne continued when talking to the media. "Just every time we go out there to get as much energy as possible, but still want to be in the right spots."
He happened to be in an unusual spot, but worth it in the end. Now it comes down to which spot will be land on NBA wise for next season.
He's the latest to take advantage of Porter's absence alongside Minott, who also delivered his own breakout lead scoring night earlier in March.
Etienne himself looks like he played himself into a future with Brooklyn.
He's a restricted free agent for this coming offseason as he landed with the Nets on a one-year deal. But his 18-point night isn't the sole reason why Brooklyn must consider keeping him.
This is a young roster that still needs cheap veterans to keep the team balanced. Brooklyn will need to address guard play and defensive help (St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor is rising as a latter possibility for the late round) moving forward,
Etienne can provide some needed bench minutes for next year's Nets.
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