NBA Summer League

Brooklyn Nets

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Gallery: Nets vs. Memphis

Tom Dowd

The Brooklyn Nets reached the semifinals of the NBA Summer League before their run in Las Vegas ended with an 85-77 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.

The Nets finished the event with a 4-2 record, including a 105-85 win over Detroit in Saturday’s quarterfinal game as they advanced to the eight-team championship tournament after winning three of four preliminary round games.

Center Jarrett Allen had 30 points and 11 rebounds in that quarterfinal win and finished up averaging 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 61 percent in 26.6 minutes per game over five games.

The Nets had four more roster players in Las Vegas, including second-year guard Theo Pinson and rookie draft pick Nic Claxton, both of whom signed contracts with the team while in Las Vegas.

Pinson, who played last season for Brooklyn and the Long Island Nets G League affiliate on a two-way contract, averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while Claxton played in four games, averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and shooting 61 percent in 15.8 minutes per game.

Brooklyn’s 2018 draft picks, Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs, each got their first Summer League experience after being unable to participate last year. Musa had a game-sealing block in an 88-85 win over Washington last Monday and a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds in a 93-85 win over Orlando on Wednesday that helped clinch Brooklyn’s place in the championship tournament. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in six games.

Kurucs, who started 46 games for Brooklyn as a rookie, also played all six games, averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Against the Timberwolves on Sunday, the Nets jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Minnesota pulled ahead to a 55-48 lead at halftime. Allen had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone, but left the game midway through the third quarter with a hip contusion after a hard fall and finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Minnesota pulled away in the third quarter, building a 23-point lead as the Nets scored just two points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Amida Brimah finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and C.J. Massinburg and Josh Gray had 11 points each.

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Brooklyn Nets Summer League: Timberwolves 85, Nets 77

LAS VEGAS — Nic Claxton gave away his basketball beginnings on more than one occasion during NBA Summer League action this week.

The Brooklyn Nets’ 6-foot-11 rookie looked perfectly comfortable on the perimeter, putting the ball on the floor and taking advantage of open space for drives to the rim.

“I played point guard up until I think the eighth grade,” said Claxton. “The summer from my ninth grade summer until my 10th grade school year I grew from 6-2 to 6-7. So then I naturally transitioned into being more of a wing. I continued to sprout up so then I gradually became a forward, center type.”

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Claxton kept on growing. His father, Charles, is a seven-footer who was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NBA Draft and played with the Boston Celtics during the 1995-96 season.

Charles Claxton opted for a subtle influence early on, always making sure there were basketballs around the house. It didn’t take long for Nic to gravitate in that direction.

“My dad, he didn’t force me to play basketball, me or any of my siblings,” said Claxton. “It was more of a natural thing. I kind of fell in love with the game around second grade. Basketball has played a huge role in my life for as long as I can remember, and he’s been there for me every step of the way.

“He would always tell me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear. Him being that role model for me, and he was my coach up until the eighth grade, so him being that role model for me has always been big.”

He ended up following his father’s path to the University of Georgia, about 90 minutes from his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. Charles Claxton was an All-SEC forward who still holds some strong positions on the school’s all-time scoring, rebounding and block lists.

Again, there was no direct push. But the family influence was felt.

“It really was kind of a set-up,” said Claxton. “Growing up I always go to the Georgia football games, Georgia basketball games and bled red and black my whole entire life. I almost went to Florida State but my heart told me to go to Georgia.”

After Claxton averaged 14.7 minutes per game coming off the bench as a freshman, a change at Georgia set him on the path to the NBA just a year later. Under new coach Tom Crean, the former Marquette and Indiana coach, Claxton started all 32 games, averaging 13.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

“Just allowing me to play out in space a lot more instead of just having my back to the basket a lot,” said Claxton. “Like how the NBA is today where you see bigger guys handling the ball and distributing and doing a lot of different things and not just playing on the blocks. Coach Crean, I give a lot of credit to him and I’m happy how everything turned out.”

Clearly, the Nets liked what they saw when Claxton was unleashed to utilizing all his skills. He falls into a profile similar to Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen, what Nets coach Kenny Atkinson likes to describe as the modern NBA center — long, athletic, ready to defend the rim on defense, operate on the perimeter and roll to the basket on offense.

The Nets set his life into overdrive when they drafted him on June 20. Less than two weeks later he was in Las Vegas getting ready to tip off Summer League.

“It’s been a movie, honestly,” said Claxton. “It’s been crazy. Just every day I’ve just been working. I was in Brooklyn, went back home for a couple of days and came out to Vegas so now we’re just out here in Vegas trying to get some wins.”

He’s had the opportunity here to work with Allen, the Nets starter for the last season-and-a-half who is just a year older than Claxton.

“It’s been good,” said Claxton. “He’s been giving me a lot of different pointers. Just telling me certain things like when to cover from help side to help out the guards and things like that. It’s been nice having him being that role model for me.”

With Allen’s presence, the Nets haven’t forced too much on Claxton in Vegas. He’s played 15.8 minutes per game, averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 61 percent (11-18).

During the game-breaking 17-3, fourth-quarter run that propelled the Nets to a 93-85 win over Orlando on Wednesday, wrapping up the four-game preliminary section with a 3-1 record, Claxton threw down a long alley-oop from Theo Pinson, then followed up with a dramatic finish on a rebound off his own miss.

“It’s been cool,” said Claxton. “I’m still getting acclimated to everything honestly. It’s going to be a process. The game speed, it’s a lot faster. I’m still adjusting to that, but slowly but surely it’s been a process but it’s helping me. It’s cool to see the players on the roster coming back to support us during Summer League.”

This was the first look for Claxton at NBA life, and the first look for Nets fans at him. He’s looking forward to getting himself acclimated in Brooklyn, and with the Nets.

“A very energetic guy. Always positive, especially you see it on the floor whether I’m on the bench or on the court,” said Claxton. “I’m always just bringing positive vibes, so I think the fans will learn to love that about me."

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Brooklyn Nets Nic Claxton Getting Started at Summer League

LAS VEGAS — Theo Pinson will be leaving Las Vegas with the thing most players come here searching for, an NBA contract for the upcoming season.

Pinson’s return to the Brooklyn Nets became official at the start of the week when he signed his new contract with the team.

“It’s huge,” said Pinson. “I can’t thank Sean (Marks) and the organization enough for giving me this opportunity. I put in a lot of work this past year. I always tried to be ready when my opportunity was called and glad it got reward.”

Pinson got his start with the Nets here in Las Vegas during Summer League last season after going undrafted out of North Carolina. He played essentially the entirety of the 2018-19 season on a two-way contract before being signed to a rookie contract for a full NBA roster spot in the final days of the regular season, making him eligible for Brooklyn’s playoff roster.

“I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s been smooth, because the family-like atmosphere we have here is huge,” said Pinson of his first year of pro ball. “Coming from Carolina, how it was the same way, it was a good transition. We play the game the right way here. That’s the type of the game that I have, and I’m glad it worked out.”

Pinson spent the majority of his time with Brooklyn’s G League squad on Long Island, leading them with 20.7 points per game, plus 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game over 34 games. In the G League playoffs, his game-winning 3-pointer lifted the Nets to a 108-105 win over the Lakeland Magic for the Eastern Conference title and a trip to the G League finals.

He played 18 games for Brooklyn, highlighted by his 19-point, eight-rebound game that sparked a 109-99 comeback win against the Knicks in January.

“When my number’s been called, we’ve got great players, we all know that,” said Pinson. “First thing is to gain the trust from those guys and for them to want me to be on the court also and then Kenny (Atkinson) will want me on the court, then Sean will be comfortable with me on the court so when I get in the game just do my job and do my part.”

One of the areas of Pinson’s game that blossomed over the last year was his 3-point shooting, not something he was known for at North Carolina. He shot 38.5 percent from deep with Long Island, and in his big game against the Knicks he got the Nets going with three consecutive second-quarter threes.

With the addition of players like Kyrie Irving and eventually Kevin Durant who draw huge amounts of attention from defenses, Pinson sees the way it opens up opportunities for teammates, and he’s working on being ready to take advantage of it.

“Just a lot of catch and shoot shots,” said Pinson. “We’ve got some really good players we’ve got here. KD, Kyrie. We’ve got players who are still here, Caris (LeVert), Spencer (Dinwiddie) and those guys are great ballhandlers who can find the extra guy. Lot of catch and shoot guys. I’ve been through this before though. In Carolina when we won the national championship I wasn’t the main focused guy scoring the ball. I did all the other stuff for us to get to that point and win games. Going through this won’t be anything new for me. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been playing this game my whole life. I know what I need to work on and get better at.”

Pinson also drew a lot of attention over the past year for his enthusiastic bench celebrations, something that became symbolic of the Brooklyn team’s culture and camaraderie as the Nets made their surprise run to the playoffs.

“I’m going to continue to be me, regardless of who’s here and who’s not here,” said Pinson. “I’m going to miss those guys of course, but like they said, this is the NBA, Joe Harris said it best, I think he had different teammates every year. Hearing that and understanding the business of the NBA, you’ve got to just do your job. My thing is, if I’m not going to be on the court, I’m going to be involved somehow. This year, hopefully I can get on the court and contribute on the court also and be vocal. I can’t wait.”

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Theo Pinson Looking Forward to Full Season With Brooklyn Nets

LAS VEGAS — Two days after sealing a win for the Brooklyn Nets with a blocked shot at the final buzzer, Dzanan Musa took control from early on in leading the Nets to a 93-85 win against the Orlando Magic at NBA Summer League.

Going into his second NBA season, the 20-year-old guard finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, plus two assists, shooting 8-for-15 overall and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

Musa scored 12 of 14 Brooklyn points during one second-quarter stretch — assisting on the other two with a dish to Allen — while knocking down three 3-pointers as the Nets took a 52-37 halftime lead.

“I just realized that I’m maturing and I think that I’m letting the game come to me,” said Musa. “I’m not going towards the game, I’m not chasing anything. I’m just playing the game that I love, and the second quarter was my quarter, and I’m happy that I helped my guys.”

With the Nets trailing 73-69 in the fourth quarter, they took control with a 17-3 run capped by two Musa baskets that gave them an 86-76 lead.

“In the fourth game, finding his rhythm,” said Nets coach Adam Harrington. “We did challenge him. He came out really aggressive, was really good to see him get some catch and shoot shots. And I think that’s where he can help us on this Nets roster, providing space and shooting when he’s open. He did that, and then he drove those close-outs; guys had to start coming out on him. Just really happy the way he��s continued to grow. We put the ball in his hands a lot and there’s a lot of decisions you have to make and he’s gotten better every game.”

Rodions Kurucs and Jarrett Allen had 14 points apiece and Allen grabbed 13 rebounds with two blocks. Theo Pinson scored 13 points, including Brooklyn’s final seven of the game after Orlando had closed within 86-83.

With the win, the Nets completed their four-game preliminary game schedule with a 3-1 record, putting themselves in excellent position to earn a spot in the eight-team tournament championship once preliminary round play is completed Thursday. The tournament begins Saturday with the championship game scheduled for Monday.

“We came here with a roster we felt like we were really going to compete at,” said Harrington. “I think development is always at the top. You want to develop these guys but obviously winning and competing. I’ve always said having success in the middle of development helps it grow faster when guys can see themselves be successful. We came here with a goal to keep winning and we’re excited to put ourselves in a position to see how it plays out.”

Nets assistant coach and director of player development Adam Harrington has been the head coach for Brooklyn’s Summer League squad, and it’s been an eye-opening experience.

“It’s been incredible, really to just be an extension of what Kenny’s been doing for three years and learning from one of the best,” said Harrington. “I think even when I took the job here, Kenny was somebody I looked up to. His path was an incredible path. So just learning from him every day and taking what you learned from Jacque Vaughn and Bret Brielmaier and Jordan Ott, even being a Summer League coach I’ve learned so much from the coaches that’s on the Summer League staff.

“I instantly have a different perspective of what a head coach goes through. From minutes and talking to players and game management. I really think this experience — I’m so thankful for the Nets organization in general — but will help me become a better assistant along this journey.”

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Brooklyn Nets Summer League: Nets 93, Magic 85

LAS VEGAS — With his arrival in Brooklyn, Kevin Durant becomes the most decorated and accomplished player ever acquired by the Nets, with nine All-NBA selections, an MVP award and two NBA Finals MVP awards just the start of it.

A track record like that draws admirers and fans, and for Durant, some of them are now his teammates. Not long after the Brooklyn Nets Summer League squad arrived in Las Vegas, 21-year-old forward Rodions Kurucs eagerly declared that Durant was his favorite player while growing up in Latvia.

“It’s not weird, it’s just exciting,” said Kurucs after a Summer League win against Croatia on Sunday. “I just like it. Like I said, I’m just going to have a lot of things to learn from him, I hope he will teach me a lot.”

Dzanan Musa, also heading into his second NBA season, followed Durant from a distance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“I went on a European championship in Slovenia I think,” said Musa. “And I didn’t have my shoes. So I called my mom, bring me some shoes, this that. But I want KD’s shoes. Seven, eight years (ago). And now to realize that I have him as a teammate, as a mentor, it’s unbelievable.”

Rookie Nic Claxton was drafted by the Nets on June 20 and 10 days later found out he’d be starting his NBA career as teammates with three members of the 2016 United States Olympic team — Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan.

“It’s been crazy,” said Claxton. “I didn’t even imagine Kyrie and KD coming to join Brooklyn this year the way it happened. It’s really going to be a blessing to play alongside those players and get some of their knowledge from them, DeAndre Jordan being a big guy. So it’ll be fun and I’ll be ready to work.”

Some of the Nets have a different perspective. Caris LeVert and Taurean Prince are each heading into their fourth NBA seasons and have become friendly with Durant during their time in the NBA.

At his end-of-season exit interview in April, LeVert described Durant as a “big brother” who had reached out to him while LeVert was recovering from foot surgery. Durant had gone through a similar experience a few years earlier.

Prince connected with Durant through mutual friends a few years ago, and while he tries to emulate Durant on the court, the relationship is rarely about hoops.

“We’ve never really spoken about the basketball part of it,” said Prince. “He’s always just been a mentor with me at life, my approach to the game, my preparation. I’ve taken a few things he does and put it into my own regimen. I’m kind of just learning as I go.”

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Kevin Durant Has Fans Among New Brooklyn Nets Teammates

LAS VEGAS — From 20 wins to the playoffs to a prime destination for the biggest free agents — with his own personal pit stop for a spotlight at last season’s All-Star Weekend — Joe Harris has been in from the start of a remarkable Brooklyn Nets resurgence that kicked into overdrive with the free agent signings of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan this week.

At a time when general manager Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson were just getting started and searching for talent, Harris was part of their first free agent class, one that looked very different from the one they just signed. It’s turned into a perfect match of player, coach, and organization.

“I think when Sean and Kenny got in and then assembled the team you could see stuff transitioning and changing,” said Harris on Monday afternoon while Brooklyn’s Summer League squad played at UNLV’s Thomas &amp; Mack Arena. “Obviously it’s a slow process. You didn’t anticipate it happening as quickly as it did or in the manner that it happened. But I think at some point everybody could kind of see the tide turning. Obviously we had a great year this past year, but then to go out and make the splash in free agency, it sort of solidified the come up of this organization.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Atkinson cited players like Harris and Caris LeVert — now the two longest-tenured Nets from their summer of 2016 acquisitions — as keys for establishing and maintaining the culture that helped attract the big free agent haul.

Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie, signed a few months later after the season began, have been the gems of the Nets search and development process; two players who were out of the league and grown into core pieces.

Each season, Harris and the Nets took a step forward. As Brooklyn grew into a playoff team, Harris became a full-time starter in his third season with the Nets, leading the league in shooting 47.4 percent from 3-point range, his second straight season above 40 percent.

He also averaged career highs of 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 50 percent overall.

“When you do stuff the right way, and people see sort of the enthusiasm that the team plays with, the culture that’s been built, that’s there, everybody recognizes it,” said Harris. “And everybody knows that the Nets are a first-class organization from the top down, from ownership to the front office, coaches. There’s a clear synergy there where it’s something you would want to be a part of and obviously there’s a lot of other things that factor into it. But I think establishing that foundation, that culture early on is just as important as anything else that’s happened along the way.”

Rising to 42 wins and the playoffs, the Nets were one of the NBA’s great stories of the 2018-19 season. But this is a league that doesn’t lack for storylines and drama. And one of them was the fate of Durant, Irving and a star-studded potential free agent class after the season.

There was no shortage of rumors over the course of the season, plenty of them couched as fact or fait accompli. Sometimes players are turned into the truth, and sometimes they’re spectators waiting to see what happens just like everybody else. Finally, on June 30, facts ruled the day and rumors were replaced by reality. Durant and Irving were bound for Brooklyn.

“You hear rumblings over the course of the season,” said Harris. “But with KD, I don’t think anybody was really sure at all until literally that last day. I think we had more of an idea that Kyrie was interested in coming to Brooklyn, but with KD and DeAndre, that was more like the day of.”

While Durant has friendly connections with LeVert and the newly acquired Taurean Prince, Harris has had a more up-close experience with Irving. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and was a rookie during Irving’s fourth pro season in Cleveland, one in which he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.

“I would say you could ask a lot of people that played with him and they’d all say that he’s a great teammate and a good guy to be around,” said Harris. “None of us are perfect all the time. We’re all going to have ups and downs throughout the course of the season. For him, unfortunately, he’s just in one of these scenarios where there is so much more attention on him and people are paying much more attention to when he does have an off day. It’s a little bit different than people like me. I have off days all the time too, but nobody really cares when I have an off day. People care when Kyrie does.”

Mostly, Irving left a big impression with Harris on the court.

“I remember seeing him have like 57 when we played against the Spurs in San Antonio,” said Harris. “It was one of the better individual performances I’ve ever seen on the basketball court especially live. He’s one of these guys where he’s very much must-see. We all know the talent, but like I got to see it for a year and a half every day in practice. Every day on the court and he really is that talented. He’s a top-10 talent.”

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Brooklyn Building Block Joe Harris Gets a Kyrie Irving Reunion

LAS VEGAS — From the first trade reports to the social media posts to the official announcements, the Brooklyn Nets roster has been transformed in an unprecedented way going into the 2019-20 season.

Three players with All-NBA resumes — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan — are bound for Brooklyn. They’ll be joined by Taurean Prince, Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler in reshaping the team.

Tuesday afternoon, general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson met with the media at UNLV’s Thomas &amp; Mack Center to discuss the changes for the first time.

“We’ve talked about how this is really a players’ league, it’s become that,” said Marks. “At times it’s about taking advantage of that and using it to your benefit. Those three guys, or two guys, you’ve seen it all the time, go on and pair off with different franchises. With this particular opportunity they wanted to play in Brooklyn.”

Here are five takeaways from Marks and Atkinson’s session:

It was not an enviable situation that Marks and Atkinson inherited. Marks was hired in the midst of a 21-win season and Atkinson hired shortly after. From the beginning they preached culture, which can easily be interpreted how players interact, but is equally about the foundation that supports them and the way they’re treated by coaches and the front office.

They poured resources into support staff and facilities at every level of the organization and went from 20 wins in Atkinson’s first season to 42 and the playoffs in year three.

The way they did it — their playing style, their enthusiasm, their commitment — changed the perception of the franchise around the league. Two months after the season ended in the first round against Philadelphia, two of the world’s best basketball players committed to Brooklyn.

“Quite honestly, it did surprise me,” said Atkinson. “Obviously we improved a lot last year but it wasn’t a so-called star system. It was a group of guys that play really well together. I think it gives more credit to the guys that are coming here that say I like that style of play, I like the way they play. I think they want to participate in something like that. Yeah, it surprises me just because we’ve come a long way in a short time. That’s the biggest surprise. And it happened quicker. I know Sean was strategizing and thinking big picture. I was kind of focused more on the day to day. It was a surprise they chose to participate in this type of system that we’re running.”

The new additions add up to significant turnover, half of the current 14-man roster when you include rookie Nic Claxton. But players who played their own part in defining a new era for the franchise — Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen — served as ambassadors, and a bridge to the next stage for the franchise.

“The biggest credit goes to our returning players, the Joe Harrises, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert. I think at the end of the day, all the free agents, that’s Garrett Temple and DeAndre, they looked at it and said those are guys we want to play with,” said Atkinson. “You know how this league works. It’s very special among the players – and Sean knows from being a player – it’s a very small circle. I think information bounces back between players. I think our returning players and our guys from last year and even the year before, they deserve most of the credit for all those guys wanting to come here and play.”

Marks and Atkinson have spoken often about how they prefer the culture in the Brooklyn locker room to be player-led. Increasingly around the NBA, particularly with the elite players, that’s how team-building and player movement is being driven as well.

In this case, Marks said, Durant’s social media post announcing he was bound for Brooklyn came before the organization even knew if they would be able to meet with him on the evening of Sunday, June 30 at the first opportunity.

‘You’ve got the Instagram post that The Boardroom put out, he put out, saying he’s made his decision,” said Marks. “Then there was a little bit of nervous anticipation of, OK, is he coming in, are we going to get a meeting tonight, is it a teleconference, how that goes.”

He got the player before he got the meeting, but that came later that evening.

“He came in that night,” said Marks. “We ended up having an in-person meeting. He came over to the facility. That’s been talked about a little bit before. Again, I don’t know if it was that much of a pitch. It was more along the lines of…Kenny talked about how he wants to use him and how he would play and the style of play and so forth. We both discussed the culture, we both discussed the makeup of the team and so forth. I think it was pretty evident in terms of his excitement and the look on his face and the expressions that he had come to a decision pretty quickly.”

Atkinson was succinct when asked about the plan for Irving.

“Give him the ball,” said the Nets coach.

Atkinson’s track record in working with guards and playmakers, from Jeremy Lin, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder to Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and D’Angelo Russell, is well-established. In the 27-year-old Irving, a two-time All-NBA selection and NBA champion, he’ll be opening a relationship with a player with a far more established resume at the starting point.

“I’m definitely starting to do my homework on him,” said Atkinson. “It’s still recent. I think the challenge is to get the best Kyrie. I want him to have his best season ever and continue that improvement and that’s tough because he played well last year. I know there’s a lot of talk out there, but you look at his numbers and I think the way he played really well. Definitely going to challenge him to keep improving. We play a system I don’t imagine changing a ton. You’ll have to ask him that. I think that’s part of the reason he was interested in coming here our style of play. I think we’ll come to a meeting of minds between me and him and how that works within the group.”

Call him the surprise, call him the bonus addition, but DeAndre Jordan gives the Nets a third addition with an All-NBA resume. Unlike the additions of Irving, and eventually Durant, the Nets have an established starter who’s a centerpiece of their young core at Jordan’s position.

While Jordan has started every game he’s played since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Allen has started all 111 games he’s played since taking over the starting spot in the middle of his rookie season, missing just three games in that time.

“I’m excited about the pairing,” said Atkinson. “Jarrett and DeAndre and DeAndre being able to push Jarrett and Jarrett being able to push DeAndre. DeAndre, two years ago, he was an elite, elite center in this league. That’s where I want him to get back to. We really want to push him to his previous level. I think Jarrett will help him do that. As far as starting, not starting, Jarrett Allen said, ‘hey I want to be the starter,’ which I love. It’s great. I think we embrace the competition. I think that’ll play out. I do think it helps us matchup-wise. If Joel Embiid maybe JA gets two quick fouls or something we do have a heck of a player to support him and potentially starting different guys too. I think that’s possible. I think it’s a great tandem to have.”

Jordan was the All-NBA First Team center in 2015-16 and a Third Team selection 2014-15 and 2016-17. He was also named to the All-Defensive First Team in 2014-15 and 2015-16. After playing his first 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Jordan signed with the Dallas Mavericks before last season and was traded to the New York Knicks during the year.

“We have to figure that out,” said Atkinson about maximizing the soon-to-be 31-year-old. “Watch film from his really good years, see how we can utilize him best, and listen I think there’s different types of motivation, right? I don’t know what it looked like for him from a motivation standpoint. I do think with the talent we brought in. I do think there will be a heightened sense of motivation on his part. And obviously a nice long-term deal too, that always helps I think with player performance. We’re going to find that key to get him back to that elite level.”

When Durant injured his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it threw a twist into the plans for teams that eyed him as the centerpiece of their free agency plans.

“At that moment, I got to be honest as a basketball fan, I’m watching the games and to see anybody go down and get hurt, saw the same happen to Klay, that’s devastating,” said Marks. “For it to happen in that moment, at that time, irrespective of free agency, obviously I’d be lying if I said, oh, it didn’t bother us at all or we weren’t at all taken. Then we had to dig in and say, okay, what does that look like, how does that work with our franchise, how does that fit with the dynamic.”

“We were texting right away,” said Atkinson. “Jeez. This could change things. Took a couple of deep breaths, obviously got more information, to make a decision easier.”

Durant’s surgery was performed by Nets team doctor Dr. Martin O’Malley, who previously operated on the player’s foot in 2015. Marks said a full evaluation of Durant’s condition was conducted Monday and a program is in place going forward, but the team is not setting any timelines.

“He will be evaluated with the performance team and so forth,” said Marks. “I think a timeline will be given in due time, but as of now, we’re certainly not going to comment on when or if and make any sort of hypotheticals. It’s too early.”