Kenny Atkinson on the Brooklyn Nets’ current status: ‘We’re not an elite team’

Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was transparent as possible when discussing his team’s current status.

The Brooklyn Nets dropped their fifth-straight game in a row Thursday night, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, 128-113.

After the game, Kenny Atkinson commented on his team’s current placement in the NBA’s hierarchy.

According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, here’s what he had to say:

“We’re not an elite team, I can tell you that,” coach Kenny Atkinson admitted. “We obviously went through a tough stretch and we’re surviving right now.”

Currently sitting at 18-25, losers of five-straight and 12 of 14 overall, it would be hard to refute Atkinson’s statement right now.

The Lakers operated at an alarming level of comfortability against the hapless Nets defense, shooting 47-94 from the field (50 percent) and 19-38 from the perimeter (50 percent).

LeBron James compiled a triple-double, scoring 27 points while adding 12 rebounds and ten assists. Likewise, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard both put up double-doubles. Davis went for 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Howard registered 14 points and 12 rebounds.

With their next seven contests being against sub-.500 teams, the schedule softens. Currently, the Nets sit two games behind the Orlando Magic for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. A string of victories will help them catch ground.

The Nets open up the first half of their upcoming back-to-back against the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Following that matchup, a contest is slated for Sunday against crosstown rival, New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden at 6:00 p.m. ET.