NEW YORK — Kevin Durant is sidelined with an MCL sprain, just like he was last January, but it’s not exactly a situation from the same story and a different year. This time, the Brooklyn Nets had a clean injury record the night Durant was injured. Last time out, there were two rookies in the starting XI and five players on the injury report, including Kyrie Irving, who was ineligible to play at the Barclays Center because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Last time out, Brooklyn lost 16 of 21 games to Durant’s injury. Before and after the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons swap that took place during this period, the coaching staff had to cobble together a new rotation for virtually every game. This time the networks are in a much less precarious position. The same guys who played the most minutes will continue to play the most minutes, Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said after Wednesday’s practice. Those on the fringes of the rotation might get chances, but that will remain situational.
“The train’s moving on,” Vaughn said.
Without Durant, the Nets want to reduce fouls, limit turnover and improve rebounds. “All the things that increase or decrease your margins, we just have to do better,” Vaughn said. “Those were areas of focus, but they’re more important because Kevin can take a shot for us and cover up some of our sins.”
There will be “not a big change philosophically in how we approach this thing,” Vaughn said. Brooklyn will probably “play a little bit faster, probably [take] a few more 3s to compensate for Kevin’s shots from the middle.” Durant has an average of 29.7 points and a utilization rate of 31.1 percent, so naturally there will be more touches.
“The best player in the world is out but the boys need to step up,” said Nets big man Nic Claxton. “We’ve been in this position before.”
Irving becomes the Nets’ top scorer. Naturally, Simmons, whose utilization rate has dropped to 14.2 percent this season, should take on more playmaking load. Vaughn said Simmons’ next step is to “play every possession with power,” adding that the pace and easy shots he can make are necessary now.
Vaughn pointed to last Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans as an example. Early in the game, Simmons picked up CJ McCollum all over the court and made multiple attacks on the basket.
“Can you make it now at the 18 minute mark, the 24 minute mark, the 40 minute mark?” said Vaughn. “But that’s the progression we’re at where it’s still the same and you see it but can you see it consistently? Because we definitely need that when Kevin’s out.”
Vaughn declined to say who would take Durant’s spot on the starting lineup. The cleanest fit in terms of offensive ability is TJ Warren, who shot 52 percent from the center, according to Cleaning The Glass. However, Warren essentially missed two seasons before making his comeback in early December. He has averaged 19.9 minutes in 16 games and only surpassed the 27-minute mark once. Vaughn said the Nets’ priority is keeping Warren healthy for the rest of the season, so he won’t play 40 minutes. However, it’s unclear if they think 30 to 35 is too much.
Superstars like Durant make everything easier. Every time he breaks a pindown, executes a pick and roll, or catches the ball with the post, he presents a problem for the defense. When half possession goes nowhere, he can create a shot for himself or pull a second defender alone. He’s also a legitimate all-defense contender, and the Nets can’t just plug in another player and duplicate his around-the-rim auxiliary defense, length, and switchability. The hope is that together they have enough playmaking, shooting, size and versatility to stay afloat (and that Durant won’t be out for long).
Royce O’Neale has been a crucial part of Brooklyn’s success this season, especially with Joe Harris still finding his footing. Claxton could make an All-NBA team, and he’s made strides as a finisher. Yuta Watanabe and Warren were perhaps the two best signings a team made last summer. The parts have come together so well that the Nets have won 18 of their last 20 games, and only the Boston Celtics have a better record in the NBA this season. Claxton said they are “definitely” better equipped to deal with Durant’s absence than they were last season because of “our spirit, our energy, our vibe, the way we defended.” .
A similarly optimistic Vaughn cited Brooklyn’s dramatic win on Sunday, which saw Durant leave the game early and trail nine points in the fourth quarter, as a testament to the team’s determination. “No excuses, that’s the biggest thing for this group,” Vaughn said. He then started to make a comment about last year’s team, but then stopped mid-sentence. “I’m just not saying excuses, I’m not giving this group a chance to apologize.”
Can the Simmons-Claxton lineups work without Durant in the picture? Can the networks get enough stops without them? If Warren starts, who can score the second unit? Do they need to dial up Seth Curry’s minutes to find more offence? Will they sacrifice size and versatility to play Curry and Irving together? Those are the questions Brooklyn will need to answer over the next few weeks, starting with a home game against Boston on Thursday.
This isn’t an ideal opponent in this situation, but hey, it could be worse. Last season, when Brooklyn hosted the Celtics during Durant’s absence, Harden was technically still on the roster but took a seat on the bench after the tip and flew to Houston the next day while the rest of the team traveled to Washington. Irving wasn’t allowed in the arena. The Nets, who were on an eight-game losing streak, started Patty Mills, Bruce Brown, DeAndre’ Bembry, Kessler Edwards and Blake Griffin, and they brought in Jevon Carter, David Duke Jr., Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe and James Johnson from the bank. Boston won 126-91.