Apr 8, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) warms up prior to the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Brooklyn Nets (26-55) had been given a wakeup call by head coach Jordi Fernandez following Thursday’s 133-109 loss to the Atlanta Hawks about playing hard until the season is over. With Brooklyn going on its last road trip of the season, it was one last time for the team to prove its mettle at the Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33), but it just wasn’t their game.
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The Nets lost at the Timberwolves 117-91 after losing the first and third quarters by a combined 25 points due to how well Minnesota was playing on both ends of the floor. Keon Johnson led the way for the Nets with 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists while Trendon Watford had 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists to help Brooklyn make some kind of comeback.
Rudy Gobert absolutely carried the Timberwolves in this one to the tune of 35 points and 11 rebounds as no one on the Nets was able to get between him and the basket without sending him to the free-throw line. Here are the Nets player grades following Friday’s loss at the Timberwolves:
Beekman showed a lot in this one as he coupled his scoring with his passing to give some indication that he could be a competent offensive player in the future. Beekman was effective from all ranges and his ability to stretch the floor will be where he has to improve the most, especially if he is going to see playing time for Brooklyn next season. He fouled more than he usually does, but part of that was due to him having to be the low man against Rudy Gobert and forcing him to go to the free-throw line instead of getting easy layups.
Johnson had one of his best all-around games of the season as he did his job scoring the ball, but he also showed significant growth in his ability to facilitate. Coming into the season, Johnson had spent most of his time as an off-the-ball guard, but in this one, he showed that he could handle some point-guard duties as well, especially in the pick-and-roll with Drew Timme.
Wilson did a good job of shooting the ball from three-point land and while his dribble-drive game still needs some work in the offseason, his ability to shoot the ball efficiently will open up those portions of his game. Being able to get to the rim or even within floater range will be key for Wilson to get to the free-throw line or get easier shots over the course of a game.
Watford was effective getting into the lane and driving to the rim, even in the face of players like Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid defending the rim. Watford has been at his best for this team when the ball is in his hands and he can set up his man before getting to the basket and using his length to finish over the top. Watford was great on the glass once again and he did a good job of setting up his teammates for easy buckets when they were there.
With Nic Claxton being rested for this game and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe still ailing from his right knee sprain, Timme drew the start against one of the better centers in the league in Rudy Gobert. Timme has had plenty of games where he shot the ball better than he did against the Timberwolves as it looked like he struggled to finish with Gobert guarding him. Timme did a great job of rebounding, but his finishing in the lane has to improve.
Whitehead has been an interesting player to monitor over the past week or two given that he’s not playing major minutes like some of the players who have started this game and it’s fair to wonder what the Nets have in Whitehead. He has proven that he can shoot the ball when open, but he isn’t being given much of a chance to handle the ball and his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
Evbuomwan had one of his worst games of the season as he couldn’t get anything to fall from the field as he also couldn’t find his touch finishing at the rim or from three-point land. Evbuomwan did get to the free-throw line, but outside of that, his offense was lacking in an uncharacteristic way. To his credit, Evbuomwan did a good job of passing the ball and he was more active than usual in the passing lanes on the defensive end.
Martin has seen his minutes dwindle as head coach Jordi Fernandez and company are still trying to evaluate the players at the end of the roster that haven’t been regular members of the rotation. However, Martin did not shoot the ball well by his standards and it seemed like he had his fair share of issues dealing with the kind of defensive pressure that Minnesota was putting on the perimeter.
Etienne did not see much playing time in this one either and that was somewhat surprising to see given that the Nets are in full-evaluation mode to end the season. For the time that Etienne was on the floor, he still struggled to shoot the three-pointer effectively and there are still moments on defense where he is at least one step behind on rotations.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Keon Johnson drops 20 in 117-91 loss at T’Wolves
