Nets look sharp in preseason rout of Wizards

To a man, the Nets say this is the most grueling training camp they’ve ever been put through.And they claim to be confident they’ll eventually reap the benefits, especially on the defensive end. The Nets started to flash signs of that payoff Monday in a dominant 131-92 rout of the visiting Wizards in their home preseason opener. The Nets led by as many as 43 points on a 3-pointer by Cui Yongxi that had the bench in stitches. Again, the obligatory disclaimer that wins and losses in the preseason don’t mean much.

But habits do, and the Nets — who sank into some bad ones last season — are showing encouraging ones. In a tough camp, new coach Jordi Fernandez has harped on conditioning and competitiveness, and stressed defense and pace. The Nets harassed Washington into just 40 percent shooting and 7 of 39 from behind the arc. The Nets forced 19 turnovers for 35 points, and had a 26-7 edge in fast-break points. After displaying a strong transition game in last week’s preseason loss at the Clippers only to lose the battle of the benches late, the Nets poured it on this time around. Cam Thomas led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go with five rebounds.Reserve guard Shake Milton’s 16 points and Jalen Wilson’s 14 helped the Nets’ 74-45 edge in bench points. “You had the pressure and trust in one another to have our back when we get beat.

That’s really the main key,” Thomas said.“In this league, you’re going to get beat off the dribble.

These guys are good offensive players.So as long as you can trust your teammates to have your back and cover for you, I feel like that’s all that matters.

And obviously, the ball pressure, us picking up full-court, we made them miss.So I feel like that’s really going to help us.” Of course, it should be noted that — again — this is preseason, and the Wizards are wretched.

But what Nets fans will note was the crisp play and ball movement, with 27 assists and just seven turnov...