The Nets defeated the Nuggets 105-103 on Sunday evening at the Barclays Center. It was Brooklyn’s third win in a row. Here are five thoughts from the game.
Continuity
The Nets have played 12 of their 23 games this season without all-star point guard Kyrie Irving. They are 9-3 in those games.
Stop right there.
No. They are not better without Kyrie Irving. How could they be?
Kyrie Irving with the ball in his hands is one of the most dynamic players in the NBA. So any idea that not having him makes them better is ludicrous.
But what they have developed in Kyrie’s absence is continuity.
This was always going to be a slow build for the team when they announced the signings of Irving, Kevin Durant, Taurean Prince, DeAndre Jordan and Garrett Temple.
It’s not as simple as replacing D’Angelo Russell with Irving or replacing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with Prince and things just keep moving along.
Development is not always linear.
The core of this team: Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert have played together and know each other’s game. The new guys were going to take time to get integrated into the system.
That plus the lack of actual training camp and practice time together and you get an uneven start to the season.
Since Irving has been out of the lineup with a shoulder impingement, the new guys are more familiar with the system, and the core guys know their new teammates better on the floor.
What you’re seeing is an improvement in communication on defense and spacing and trust on offense.
The Nets held the Nuggets to 48 second half points and 35 percent shooting from the field over the final two quarters.
Yes, the Nuggets were on the third game of a four-game east coast road trip but they are a top 5 Western Conference team and finished number 2 in the conference last season.
Tough Decision
Speaking of continuity…
Nets’ head coach Kenny Atkinson is going to have a tough decision to make as Irving’s return draws closer.
As of now he’s doing all on court work but no contact. Once the contact begins they will integrate him into practice over the next week or two.
Caris LeVert is no longer wearing a cast after thumb surgery and he is set to begin rehab.
Wilson Chandler, who has been serving a 25 game suspension for PED use, is eligible to come back on Dec. 15th.
The Nets will have to make a move sooner rather than later.
With the injuries and suspension Brooklyn signed Iman Shumpert whose box score won’t wow you. But if you watch the games and hang around the team, his energy, attitude and effort are infectious.
He’s a veteran doing veteran things and that’s something the advanced numbers can’t quantify.
Shump is a big reason that this team is developing its identity and is experiencing continuity.
Getting Irving and LeVert back will be huge, but figuring out how to balance the roster and the minutes will be Atkinson’s challenge as we move through the second quarter of the season.
Jarrett Allen’s continued development
Allen finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and was a +10 for the game. In his last 10 games he’s averaging 16.1 points and 12.8 rebounds.
His on ball defense is also improving.
He had quite the challenge on Sunday trying to stop Nuggets’ All NBA big man Nikola Jokic. For the most part he wasn’t bad.
Jokic finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. But needed 21 shots to get his points and Allen was able to get the best of him a few times for position to grab a rebound.
Positionally, he did the right things on a few isolations, Jokic just made tough shots.
He’s still struggling with catching passes in tight spaces. Some of that are the passes force him to get too low.
He still struggles to finish tip-ins and dunks on misses as well. When he gets his hands on balls above the rim he’s got to convert at a higher rate.
This is year three and we are starting to see, even more, why the Nets liked him so much in the 2017 draft.
Spencer Dinwiddie’s ability to draw fouls
This has been a critique? Point of contention? I don’t know. But it has been something of note regarding Dinwiddie’s game.
He often feels as though he doesn’t get respect from the officials on foul calls. To be fair, he “demands” foul calls as though he’s an all-star, but he’s not.
Though if he keeps playing like he has been, he’ll be an all-star this year.
Dinwiddie finished Sunday’s game with 24 points and 8 assists. He was 4-5 from the line and probably should’ve had at least two more free throw attempts.
For the season Dinwiddie is averaging 6.1 free-throw-attempts per game. That’s 12th in the league.
If he can continue to get downhill like he has been and seek contact and finish, the officials will have to start blowing the whistle more.
Dinwiddie hit the two go ahead shots late in Sunday’s game getting downhill. After the game, he credited teammate Kevin Durant for giving him advice on angles.
Theo Pinson’s confidence
Pinson’s attitude is always good and he’s the leader of the “Bench Mob” and his teammates love him.
He’s been struggling with his shot so far this season. If you look at his NBA numbers, you’d think that’s just the case for the second year player.
But in 34 games in the G league last season, Pinson shot 38 percent on three pointers and was taking eight per game.
When he was recruited by Roy Williams at The University of North Carolina, Pinson was a shooter at the prep level.
Yes, prep school, college and the G league are not the NBA. But Pinson is capable.
It’s hard as a young player in the league without consistent minutes to see that quick progression. But he knows this and will work on his craft and continue to get better.
