After two games in preseason, the Nets remain a work in progress. In their first game, vs the Los Angeles Lakers, a 129-126 loss, there were positive signs, like Ben Simmons looking like the Ben Simmons old, which was a good thing, and Cam Thomas looking like Cam Thomas anytime he gets the minutes, meaning ready for buckets, also a good thing.
Game 2 was hardly about basketball as the Nets and Maccabi Ra’anana dealt with the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. After another bad start by the defense — giving up 39 points in the first quarter to an Israeli second division team — the Nets toyed with Maccabi the rest of the way and came away with a 135-103 win.