The NBA Cup has arrived, and the Brooklyn Nets must take advantage of the opportunity ahead. 

On Friday night, the first NBA Cup games of the 2026-27 season will tip off on some of the league’s most colorful courts. With 10 games on Friday, the Nets will be one of many teams in action. 

Unfortunately for the Nets, they’ll also be the lone winless team taking the floor for the opening night of NBA Cup play. So, they will have their opportunity to change that and get into the win column for the first time this season. 

The Nets’ Friday night matchup will come in Brooklyn against the Detroit Pistons, who finished last season as the top seed in the East. Another tough matchup early in the season for the Nets, this one could be a perfect opportunity for Brooklyn to begin turning things around. 

Obviously, the Nets’ 0-4 start has been far from ideal for a team with hopes of competing for a spot in the play-in, but there’s still plenty of time left in the season. And, if the Nets are going to make their way into the postseason picture, getting some early confidence through the NBA Cup could make a difference. 

Entering NBA Cup play on Friday, the Nets have the worst odds of winning their group, and the fifth-worst odds of any team in the league to win their respective group. Still, the Nets know that they can be competitive, and with the NBA Cup being such a small sample size, they also know they have a realistic shot to advance to the knockout stage. 

In East Group A, the Nets will be competing against the Pistons on Friday, along with future matchups against the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks. Considering some of those teams could be in the same range as Brooklyn in a potential play-in race, these matchups could mean something well beyond October and November. 

Across, the tournament’s three-year history, players have noted that these games feel more important than typical regular season games. That means some of the Nets’ young players will have a chance to play in some meaningful basketball early in the season, and that could be the jolt they need to get on track for the rest of the season. 

Jordi Fernandez’s crew will have its hands full throughout the next few weeks of Cup action, but it may be the Nets’ key to changing their fate this season.