Nets’ grand tanking plan facing its most complicated hurdle yet

The Nets are more than a quarter of the way through their charade of a season.

In the first six weeks, they have battled several members of their tanking brethren, who choose to pray for a draft lottery ping-pong ball rather than attempt to win their scheduled games.

The Nets have faced off with the Wizards (3-18) and Pacers (4-18) as well as split a pair of meetings with the rebuilding Hornets (6-16).

Most recently, the Nets suffered a 13-point home loss to the Jazz (8-13) on Thursday.

In every game this season, the Nets (5-17) have been underdogs — until now.

The grand tanking plan faces perhaps its greatest hurdle in Saturday’s lowly anticipated matchup against the Pelicans (3-20) at Barclays Center.

“I think our guys really care,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said following the loss to Utah. “And because they care, they’re going to come back in the next game, they’re going to focus and try to stay focused all the way through. You have to fight through physical fatigue and mental fatigue, which I get it, it’s not easy. But I give the guys credit [with] how much they work, how much they care, and they try their best.”

The Pelicans’ failures, unlike those of the Nets, have no payoff — having surrendered their 2026 first-round pick to acquire rookie Derik Queen — and have seen their season derailed by injuries and front office incompetence.

For the trip to Brooklyn, New Orleans will be without its biggest star, Zion Williamson (adductor) — the former draft prize turned franchise burden — while Jordan Poole (quad) and Herb Jones (calf) could also miss more time.

The Nets — already without second leading-scorer Cam Thomas (hamstring) — could counter their shorthanded opponent by again sitting leading-scorer Michael Porter Jr. (back soreness), who has missed three of the past five games.

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Porter is not listed on the Nets’ injury report.

“That last game, I didn’t see him moving well,” Fernández said before resting Porter on Thursday for injury management. “It was muscle-related.”

Even as the Nets are in tank mode for the second straight season, a young roster with much to prove could again blow up the depressing scheme.

After winning just one of their first 12 games, the Nets have since gone 4-6, winning two of their past three games.

Third-year big Noah Clowney is averaging over 20 points in his past seven games.

Rookie Danny Wolf has been impactful since he began receiving real minutes last week, putting up 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists against the Jazz.

Former lottery pick Ziaire Williams, 24, just scored 23 points off the bench.

Even longest-tenured Net Nic Claxton is showcasing a new side.

The team’s leading-rebounder (7.5) and shot-blocker (1.3) is averaging a career-high 13.5 points but made his greatest leap as a distributor, averaging 6.3 assists in the past three games.

After averaging fewer than two assists per game over his first six NBA seasons, the 26-year-old center leads the team in assists (4.2) this season.

“I trust him,” Fernández said of Claxton. “He’ll make the right play for his teammates. Sometimes, it will be to eat up the space, and if they go under, try to give a good angle on the handoffs. He’s done a good job with screening assists, too. And some other times he has to be aggressive and take it to the rim.

“That’s why I’ve used him to bring the ball up at times and give him more freedom, even use him as a ball-handler on pick-and-rolls. That’s why he’s free to make those reads and help his teammates.”