Jacque Vaughn was watching carefully as TJ Warren’s first official shot in over two seasons left his palms.
Was it going to be brief? Was it going to be too lengthy? Was it even going to hit the rim?
All of the above was on the desk.
It was Warren’s first NBA motion since Dec. 29, 2020, after which he missed back-to-back seasons with a stress fracture in his left foot.
There was nothing flawed with the shot.
Warren pump-faked to get Raptors huge man Chris Boucher off his ft, then dribbled right into a baseline mid-range soar shot.
Nothing however internet.
“That thing was beautiful to watch,” Vaughn stated. “I think he enjoyed being out there.”
Warren performed 17 minutes in his Nets debut and completed with 10 factors on 5-of-11 taking pictures from the sphere. He stated checking into the sport on the 4:14 mark of the primary quarter felt like a dream.
“As soon as I checked in it kind of hit me like this is real,” Warren stated after the sport. “Like I said once I got up and down [the court], it was just like ‘Alright, this is basketball.’ So it was just super fun to be out there competing with the guys.”
Oftentimes gamers lose belief in a physique half that has failed them greater than as soon as. Warren stated there have been no issues along with his foot when he stepped onto the court docket for the primary time. He was complimentary of the Nets coaching employees and credited them for his capacity to lastly make a return.
“I put in a lot of work to get back to this point,” he stated. “I was super super confident in the way I was feeling, the way I was moving, feel like I was moving pretty good. (It will) only get better from here. I feel great.”
HOT HAND HARRIS
After a freezing-cold taking pictures stretch, Joe Harris has the new hand.
Harris shot 5-of-30 from downtown throughout a five-game stretch from Nov. 22 by Nov. 28 earlier than erupting to hit 4 threes in opposition to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
He added one other 5 threes on seven makes an attempt earlier than fouling out of the Nets’ victory over the Raptors on Friday.
Head coach Jacque Vaughn has began Harris instead of the injured Ben Simmons (calf pressure) however was noncommittal when offered with the concept Harris performs higher as a starter. Prior to Simmons’ harm, Harris had come off the bench after coping with foot soreness, and Royce O’Neale changed him within the beginning lineup.
“I’m really trying to get the guys to not lean on that [idea of starting roles],” Vaughn stated. “Prime instance is the opposite evening we performed, Cam Thomas didn’t play within the first half in any respect. And then he performed 19 of 24 minutes within the second half. That’s the mindset we wish to have. I had no issues, no qualms about placing Cam in tonight on the finish of a sport.
“So that’s where I want to get to is to have complete confidence in the group, and they have complete confidence that if they’re starting, not starting, missing two games, playing five in a row, they’re doing it for the sake of the team.”
CELTICS UP NEXT
The Nets host the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics on Sunday. Irving stated the crew doesn’t need the tip of the fourth quarter in opposition to the Raptors — the place Toronto whittled a 36-point lead in the end all the way down to seven — to spill over into Boston.
“It turned into a little bit of an All-Star game at the end,” Irving stated. “Just a lot of easy baskets that Toronto was getting. Just for us to be a good team, we just got to play for a full 48 minutes.”
Kevin Durant stated the important thing to dealing with the Celtics is being as stable on all ends as they’re.
“We can’t make mistakes ourselves, because they capitalize on it,” he stated. “So we just got to be solid, be ready to play. I’m excited about it.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com