Starting Nets heart Nic Claxton joked that his taking pictures threes might present the spacing wanted to play extra minutes along with Ben Simmons.
That, nevertheless, isn’t a viable choice, regardless of how keen Claxton, a profession 15% three-point shooter, is to allow them to fly.
“I wanna shoot [them],” he mentioned.
For now, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn mentioned Simmons will proceed to come back off the bench as he works his means by way of offseason again surgical procedure and a swollen knee that he had fluid drained from final week.
The Nets have staggered the minutes Claxton and Simmons play. They have discovered success in that strategy, whereas giving Simmons extra freedom to guide the second unit.
“Especially with the second group, I think he’s done a good job and he finished the game with the first group,” Vaughn mentioned after follow on Friday. “He gives you the flexibility to be able to play fast, have space on the floor, still be big out there, rebound the basketball.”
Vaughn admitted it’s tough for the Nets to play Simmons and Claxton collectively as a result of neither are adept three-point shooters, and the workforce performs finest when there’s house within the half-court offense.
“The spacing on the floor, especially when teams are double-teaming Kev [Durant], we’ve gotta have shooters out there,” Vaughn mentioned.
Claxton additionally understands the dilemma.
“It’s tough,” he mentioned. “Teams load up on each of us, and it sort of makes their job straightforward when each of us are on the court docket.
For now, the staggering will work as a result of Claxton is enjoying properly and Simmons remains to be working to get again to his All-Star type.
At some level, nevertheless, Simmons will should be enjoying half-hour a sport once more.
“It’s a long season, we can work something out and I think we can get to [playing together more] at some point,” Claxton mentioned. “Maybe not right now, but once Ben gets going a bit, maybe we can work it out.”
That means both the Nets must discover a solution to play Claxton and Simmons collectively, or Claxton will find yourself seeing his minutes decline if Simmons totally finds his sport.”
“I think we’ve had some positive results both ways,” Vaughn mentioned.
Vaughn mentioned “hopefully” Simmons’ minutes will enhance throughout the highway journey.
After lacking 4 video games with a swollen knee, Simmons performed 16 minutes in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks and 24 minutes in opposition to the Knicks on Wednesday.
“That first game, his [minutes limit] was 20-ish, he ended up [playing] 16,” Vaughn mentioned. “He was 20-ish [against the Knicks] and ended up playing 25. So a lot of it is geared towards: anyone who steps on the floor, play hard.”
Vaughn says he’s happy with Simmons’ development during the last two video games.
“He hasn’t played in a long time, and consecutively: four games in five nights, six in nine, so it tests your mental and physical strength,” he mentioned. “I think you’ve seen him start to progress. Last game, more minutes in the game and some positive force that you saw from him. The tip dunk and we’ll continue to see that the more he plays.”
TJ PROGRESSING
Vaughn says veteran ahead T.J. Warren has superior to enjoying pickup video games in opposition to coaches and can be re-assessed in some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent two weeks.
Warren has missed every of the previous two seasons as a result of consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. The final time he performed, he averaged about 27 factors for the Indiana Pacers within the NBA’s Orlando Bubble.
It’s going to take a while, nevertheless, for Warren to get again to that time.
Vaughn mentioned Warren appears to be like good in follow however hedged that in opposition to the truth that he’s solely enjoying in opposition to coaches.
“The read against players is not there yet,” he mentioned earlier than joking: “Coaches are a little slower than the players, a little older.”
Nets starter Royce O’Neale mentioned Warren is “almost playing five-on-five” and is “eager to play.”
“Even if he’s not playing, he’s still talking to us and communicating, so that’s the big thing,” O’Neale mentioned. “It takes everybody as a team.”
YUTA OUT
Vaughn mentioned reserve ahead Yuta Watanabe is prone to miss the primary two video games of the Nets’ four-game West Coast highway journey.
Watanabe wore a brace on his left ankle throughout Nets follow after sustaining a sprain in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. He was in good spirits throughout the workforce’s post-practice open fitness center session,
“He did do some shooting today,” Vaughn mentioned. “So hopefully that’s trending in the right direction.”
CLIPPERS COMING UP
The Nets are set to embark on a four-game West Coast highway journey that includes matchups in opposition to each the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Clippers, who’re with out star ahead Kawhi Leonard, are probably the most difficult workforce on the docket, and they’re first up in opposition to a Nets workforce that can be examined after profitable three of their final 4 video games.
Even with out Leonard, the Clippers are one of many hardest groups within the Western Conference. Paul George is averaging 25.4 factors per sport, but it surely’s the depth on a Clipper workforce with at the least 10 gamers who might begin elsewhere that might give Brooklyn points on Saturday.
“That’s what we talked about today, the depth they have and the different styles the play,” Vaughn mentioned. “John Wall coming in with that second unit is going to be a transition piece that we really have to be concerned about.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com