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The Nets’ packed house at their Practice in the Park showed they do indeed have a burgeoning fan base. The smattering of boos Steve Nash got and the lukewarm reception to Kevin Durant on Sunday prove they have pressure to go with it.
Roughly 8,000 tickets were distributed to the sixth annual Practice in the Park, both a record for the free open-to-the-public event and the maximum capacity for Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 2. The fans got to watch the Nets go through light drills with the iconic view of lower Manhattan as the backdrop.
They also got to make their voices heard. Doubled-edge sword.
Nash’s ability to handle a star-laden team and lead a champion has come into question in some circles of the fan base. Other segments are vexed that Durant requested a trade this offseason, and then tried to get both Nash and general manager Sean Marks fired.
But on Sunday, both Nash and Marks were on hand at the fan event. Nash’s children were there as well, ironically wearing Durant jerseys.
“The guys have worked really hard, they’re locked in to all the details. We’re trying to form an identity and understanding each other, coming together,” Nash told team color commentator Tim Capstraw. “It’s a challenge but they’ve worked really hard. If we stick with it then we’ll be a great team.”
For his part, center Day’Ron Sharpe — the only player made available to the media at the event — was confident Brooklyn can reach that great level.
Asked if this would be a championship season for the Nets, Sharpe confidently answered, “Yeah. For sure.”
Sharpe saw COVID-19 wreak havoc on his rookie campaign, and limit unvaccinated star Kyrie Irving to just 29 games — six at Barclays Center. Now with New York City’s vaccine mandates gone, Irving eligible at home and the Nets seemingly more whole to start the season, Sharpe is confident in a better result.
“I’d say a non-COVID year, like a real year. I’ve been telling some of the teammates everything was different because of COVID, so I need to see how things are without COVID,” Sharpe said. “We’re just crashing hard every day, getting better together, getting better chemistry at the team.”
Irving — who couldn’t come to a long-term contract extension with Brooklyn this summer and picked up the option on the $36 million final year of his deal — got the loudest ovation of the afternoon. Durant got some cheers, but they were about as lukewarm as the fall weather and breeze coming off the East River.
Still, both Nash and Sharpe talked about how enjoyable it was to be at the event, and how being out on a playground evoked childhood memories.
“For sure. Playing outside with friends many days in the winter, in the rain whatever it was, just had to be out there playing,” Nash said. “So it’s always great to be back out on the playground.”
After failing to ever gain suitable traction in their New Jersey days, events like this are helping the Nets set down roots. This marks their 10th season in Barclays Center, with the 20-year-old Sharpe saying he can recall their Jersey days and is happy to help them build their fan base in Brooklyn.
“I could remember when the Nets were in Jersey, too. I’m not that young, but I can remember the Nets starting in Jersey,” said Sharpe. “So for me to be part of Brooklyn, it’s been a long time I didn’t even realize it was that long either myself.”
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