The Nets will be running into large challenges this week with matchups against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers with their massive, multi-dimensional centers, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid. It starts with Towns and the Wolves.
“They’re two very different matchups,” said Nets head coach Steve Nash. “I think Towns ends up playing more on the perimeter, a lot of pick and pop, a lot of kind of isolating and outside. Joel is obviously a lot more of an inside interior presence who can go outside if he needs to, so different looks. Our team’s gonna have to be able to attack them defensively in different ways, so I think we’ve gotta be versatile, we’re gonna play different lineups, we’ve got to be able to find an effective balance regardless of the matchup.”
Neither Towns nor Embiid is qualified among the league leaders — Towns has played 33 games and Embiid 35 — but they would be tied for eighth in the league in rebounding with 11.1 each. Embiid would be third in scoring with 29.4 points per game, while Towns would be 17th with 24.9 points per game.
As Nash described, Towns is more active beyond the arc, shooting 38.9 percent on 6.2 3-point attempts per game and shooting 49.2 percent overall with 4.5 assists per game. Embiid shoots 37.5 percent on 3.0 3-point attempts per game and 51.8 percent overall.
Towns had 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting with 12 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks against the Nets in a Brooklyn win on March 29. Embiid has averaged 26.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in two games against the Nets.
Brooklyn is coming off a Saturday night loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in which 6-foot-10, 279-pound Andre Drummond had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Towns is 6-11 and 248 and Embiid is 7-foot and 280.
“It’s something that we’re gonna run into, so we have to figure out ways to be effective against big centers,” said Nash before the Lakers game. “It’s not just on the matchup. It’s on our team defense. We have to be really sound as a team. We have to support. We have to rotate and make sure that we’re able to handle the pressure that good bigs put on our team, not only with the ball, but without it and on the glass.”
With the recent additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin, Brooklyn’s center rotation has taken on a new look lately. Aldridge moved immediately into the starting lineup, while DeAndre Jordan has not played in the five games since Aldridge’s arrival. Nash has said the small-ball center role is preffered for Griffin and Jeff Green, both traditionally forwards, with Green playing heavy center minutes during a stretch this season where Brooklyn was shorthanded at the position. Add in Nic Claxton, and there’s a crowd.
“We have four or five centers so you can’t necessarily play everyone,” said Nash. “So I’d love to find a time to give (Jordan) an opportunity again, but right now we’re trying to figure out where LaMarcus and Blake are at and even get Nic more minutes, so something’s gotta give and I wish I could give everyone all the minutes they desire, but it’s just impossible.”
Claxton made his season debut on Feb. 23 after working through knee and shoulder issues, and over his first 16 games averaged 8.7 points on 61.2 percent shooting with 4.7 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game. In the last five games, Claxton has averaged 2.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game, shooting 36.4 percent.
After James Harden scored 44 points in a win over Detroit on March 26, he said the Pistons had schemed to take away lobs to Claxton — who had a pair of 16-point games earlier in the week — giving him some extra space in the lane.
“He does give us something slightly different in that he is such a mobile athlete that he can get in and out and be a lob threat and it puts people in a difficult position when he’s a threat above and behind the defense,” said Nash. “They have to decide on some of our ball-handlers who are elite, how to play that. That’s all happening very quickly and it’s very difficult for a defense to defend that, so whether he’s getting lobs and hurting people that way or whether he’s creating space for his teammates by rolling, Nic, while he may not profile as a great offensive player, he plays a really good role offensively. Nic’s valuable both ends of the floor and gives us a different dimension with his mobility, quickness and ability to go in behind the defense.”
STATUS REPORT
The Nets will be facing Karl-Anthony Towns and the Wolves without LaMarcus Aldridge, who has been listed as out due to illness (non-COVID) related. In addition, Kyrie Irving will be out due to personal reasons/family matter.
DURANT GETS THE START
In his second game back after missing 23 games with a hamstring strain, Kevin Durant returned to the starting lineup on Saturday night.
Durant scored 22 points with seven rebounds and five assists, but also had eight turnovers.
“He just needs reps,” said Steve Nash. “He just needs to get back out there and play and make mistakes and get comfortable again. It’s been a long layoff. He’s played — before last game and tonight and including the Toronto game — he’s only played 19 games in almost two years now. Just needs to get out there, get reps and get comfortable again.”
After playing 19 minutes against New Orleans in his return on Wednesday, Durant logged 24 against the Lakers, playing into the middle of the fourth quarter of a game that had gotten away from the Nets in the opening minutes of the period.
“The tricky part is that he needs to play a certain amount of minutes to adapt and to build up to playing his customary rotation and minutes,” said Nash. “While it’s not ideal, sometimes when he’s out there we’re down fairly big we had to leave him out a few more minutes just because I want him to get into game shape and to be able to acclimate back to playing 30-plus minutes a night.”
ABOUT THE WOLVES
The Timberwolves have the NBA’s worst record at 13-40. The Nets won the previous matchup this season, 117-112 on March 29. Former Nets guard D’Angelo Russell recently returned to the lineup after missing 26 games due to knee surgery. He and Karl-Anthony Towns had played just four games together this season before Russell’s return three games ago. Russell is averaging 19.7 points and 5.1 assists, shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range. Minnesota is without swingman Malik Beasley, who is averaging 19.6 points and shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range, due to a hamstring strain. Rookie Anthony Edwards, the draft’s No. 1 pick, is averaging 17.9 points. The Timberwolves are ranked 26th in offensive rating (107.9), 26th in 3-point percentage (34.7), and 28th in field goal percentage (44.2), as well as 27th in defensive rating (115.2).