​The shots finally fell for Drake Powell, but the Nets had learned plenty while they missed.Every cold night had asked the same question. Could Powell keep defending, keep running, keep trusting the work, even when the rim gave him nothing back?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor most of Summer League, the answer had been yes. Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, the reward finally showed up with it.Powell entered the night stuck in a brutal shooting stretch, 1-for-28 from the field across the California Classic and Las Vegas. He left Brooklyn’s 115-83 win with 18 points, two steals, a block and his best offensive performance of the summer, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.“His defense has not dropped a single game,” summer-league coach Dutch Gaitley said. “He’s been the best defender in summer league and now he was able to combine that and show what type of player he is.”The Nets won’t bring Tuesday’s 32-point win into training camp as proof of anything permanent, but the win over Sacramento offered something tangible for a rebuilding team still searching for structure. Brooklyn pressured the ball, sped up the game and let its young guards lead without losing its defensive edge.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat was the part Gaitley valued most.“I think the big difference was our energy and effort defensively,” he said. “I mean, we forced 28 turnovers. They weren’t able to get — we had 30 fast-break points. They weren’t able to get anything going to start the game.”The Nets buried Sacramento early with a 38-point first quarter and led by as many as 36. The scoring came easily because the defense created it. Sacramento spent the opening stretch crumbling under pressure and Brooklyn took advantage.Egor Dëmin did more than score. He controlled the game. His 22 points gave Brooklyn firepower, but his eight assists and zero turnovers said more about how he played. He also added four rebounds and four steals, stuffing the stat sheet in every way.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGaitley called the assist-to-turnover line “amazing,” then went further.“We’re going to go as far as him and Mikel can take us,” Gaitley said.That line will not decide Brooklyn’s future, but it does reveal how the Nets are using this stage. Much has been asked of Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. They have to play on the ball and off it, create for themselves and others, score without letting the ball stick and defend well enough to stay on the court.Both had room to explore against Sacramento. Brown finished with 16 points and five assists. Gaitley praised his offensive balance, then pointed to a detail away from the ball. The Nets didn’t plan for Brown to start on Darius Acuff Jr., but Brown wanted the assignment.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He said, ‘I’m taking him. I’m guarding him,’” Gaitley said.Acuff still finished with 26 points, five assists and five