The Nets have an answer to Kevin Durant’s minutes drawback.
A wholesome TJ Warren.
Durant entered Friday’s matchup in opposition to the Toronto Raptors because the NBA’s chief in complete minutes performed (844), complete factors scored (699) and discipline objectives made (246), in addition to second in each free throws tried (183) and made (169).
That is a big quantity of damage and tear on any participant’s physique, particularly Durant, who’s three years faraway from a career-jeopardizing ruptured Achilles’ tendon and in his fifteenth NBA season at age 34.
Especially given that is his second consecutive season in Brooklyn with such a heavy load. Last yr, Durant appeared in 55 video games however averaged 37.2 minutes.
“We’ve had to play Kevin more minutes than we’ve wanted to,” head coach Jacque Vaughn stated on Friday. “That’s just kind of where we are. He understands that.”
If Warren, who made his Nets debut on Friday in opposition to the Toronto Raptors after lacking two straight seasons with stress fractures in his left foot, can keep wholesome, nevertheless, the Nets should purchase Durant extra minutes on the bench.
That’s as a result of the final time the basketball world noticed Warren play for the Indiana Pacers, he was an Orlando Bubble sensation, averaging 27 factors per sport on the NBA’s remoted courts. If Warren is even a fraction of that participant — and he believes he can totally reclaim that degree of play — he slots completely into the second unit as Durant’s position-for-position backup.
“I think as we continue to get people back into the fold, it really does give us some flexibility to play different lineups,” Vaughn stated. “So tonight we’ll try TJ with K and we’ll try him without him. But he will hopefully as he catches up to the speed of the game and everything and his conditioning [catches up], [he] give us the ability to play him in a lineup where Kevin can rest.”
For what it’s price, Warren is probably going a good distance away from being a dependable possibility as Durant’s backup. For starters, he has solely performed in opposition to a mix of gamers and coaches and will likely be taking part in in opposition to a respectable opponent for the primary time since 2020. There’s additionally the load administration portion of Warren’s early-stage return.
If the Nets have discovered from previous missteps with Joe Harris, James Harden and even lately with Ben Simmons, they know they will’t anticipate a participant who’s been out an prolonged time frame to imagine a traditional minutes load straight out the gate.
“That’s a long time – to come back and play and expect to play at a high level, and I think that’s why we have to, I don’t know, be careful in expectations and just have them be realistic and see where it leads us,” Vaughn stated. “He’s probably not going to play to the best that we’ve seen him tonight, no. But if he can play with some excitement, some joy, that will be good enough. We’ll keep it simple — real simple for him.”
Warren is properly conscious it’s going to be a course of earlier than he feels again to his greatest self.
“Anybody you talk to coming back from a long layoff it definitely takes time,” Warren stated. “But like I said before, I love to hoop, so I played basketball all the time before the injury obviously, but it’s just like riding a bike for me to just get my rhythm, my timing, and just understand ‘okay, it’s really real.’ Just get past that part.”
There’s proof suggesting Warren, although, will flip a nook.
Seth Curry totally recovered from his low season ankle surgical procedure and has returned to kind as a key member of the second unit. Joe Harris remains to be looking for his bounce shot, however after two ankle surgical procedures final season, he’s again to shifting across the courtroom at a excessive degree. Even Ben Simmons had steadily improved till sustaining a calf pressure that sidelined him till subsequent week.
“The training staff here has done a tremendous job from top to bottom making sure I overcome this injury,” Warren stated. “It’s a very difficult injury. I dealt with it for two years. And they knew how to attack it, and they did a great job; so credit to them for getting me back to this point, I’m very grateful for that.”
Warren is a scorer in any respect three ranges. He has a profession common of 15.5 factors per sport however has averaged a tick underneath 20 in two separate seasons. He appears for his offense across the three-point line and on the excessive publish, two areas the Nets look to get Durant the ball frequently.
It’s going to take time for Warren to get to mid-season kind, however when he’s prepared, he’ll be the answer to an issue the Nets have had since Durant arrived in Brooklyn.
How can they protect one of many league’s most feared scorers for a deep playoff run?
“I think overall, just [TJ’s] physical, bigger body that you can put out there. That’s the immediate piece,” Vaughn stated. “At the end of the day, he can score the basketball, and we’ll try to put him in positions where he can think instinctively and just play.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com