Nets win tank war vs. Wizards, but keep focus on development with 4 games left

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Apr 5, 2026

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NEW YORK — Sunday’s Brooklyn Nets-Washington Wizards game at Barclays Center looked exactly like what it was on paper: two teams deep in the lottery, playing a late-season matchup with more draft implications than standings relevance.

The Nets still treated it like a normal work day.

Brooklyn beat Washington 121-115, picked up its 19th win and slipped in the lottery picture, falling into third place after what amounted to a tank war in plain sight. The Wizards dressed eight available players. The Nets had 10. Brooklyn was missing Ben Saraf, Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, Ziaire Williams, Michael Porter Jr., Danny Wolf, Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe. Washington was without Justin Champagnie, Tristan Vukcevic, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, Trae Young, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Whitmore.

That’s the environment Nets coach Jordi Fernández has been navigating all season, and it’s also why he keeps returning to the same message when the record stops being the headline.

“I’ve always told the players from the first week that I was here that winning starts now,” Fernández said. “And for a lot of people, winning means different things. You can see a win on the standings — that’s a win for some. Development can be a win. Real minutes in the NBA can be a win.”

The point, Fernández said, is that Brooklyn isn’t treating these games like something to simply get through. Even now, the “next game” matters because it’s still a chance to compete the right way and build habits that carry.

That’s also why, even in a season like this, Brooklyn keeps framing the year through development. Rookies Dëmin, Wolf, Saraf, Nolan Traoré and Drake Powell have all played meaningful minutes and started games, and the organization has been able to leave the season with real notes on all five rather than guesses.

Now, with injuries stacking up, the rotation has turned into a proving ground for the next tier. Two-way players and G League call-ups have been asked to do more than fill space, including Tyson Etienne, Chaney Johnson, E.J. Liddell, Trevon Scott and Malachi Smith. Smith’s new multi-year contract, agreed to Saturday, is the clearest example of how this late-season runway can still change a career.

Wolf, ruled out for the season Friday but still available for his exit interview before Sunday’s game, didn’t pretend the season has been enjoyable. He also didn’t dismiss what it can produce for a young group.

“For sure,” Wolf said when asked if the season was a success from a development standpoint. “Obviously, I think that losing sucks, and I think every time you ask anyone, they’re going to give you the same answer that losing is no fun.”

Wolf’s view was that the record doesn’t erase the lessons, especially for rookies going through the NBA grind for the first time.

“I think within that, you have to find some things that you can learn from, that you can gain from,” Wolf said. “With such a young team, young group, I think we were able to learn some things about ourselves that will be able to carry over into the offseason.”

That was the backdrop Sunday, when the lineup card looked like a preseason list. The Nets had six players in double figures: Traoré, Powell, Liddell, Jalen Wilson, Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji. Will Riley led Washington with 30 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Fernández said the day-to-day has stayed consistent even as the losses have piled up and the roster has continued to change. His available players stepped up on Sunday, for better or worse.

“So that growth started months ago, but the plan still remains the same,” Fernández said. “There’s positive energy in the environment, which is good. Losing is always hard to deal with. At the same time, losing is part of winning. And if it really hurts, you’re going to come back and you’re going to be better.”

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