BOSTON — Garrett Temple has built an NBA career now in its 10th season on being whatever anybody needed him to be. There’s a combination of versatility, skill and humility that took him from an undrafted rookie playing for five franchises in his first two seasons to being a starter for a playoff team in Washington.
In his first season in Brooklyn, Temple’s role — what the Nets need from him — has been fluid, and he’s been rolling with it all.
“That’s what they pay me for,” said Temple on Wednesday night after a 121-110 loss to the Celtics. “Part of the reason I was here was to be a mentor as well as produce on the court. I’ve been in so many different roles in my entire career. Fifteenth guy to not dressing to starter playing 40 minutes a game. I think that has helped me understand the role. Kenny (Atkinson) does a great job communicating. Just understanding the scenario. It’s not like he tells people not to shoot or to shoot. We have a team that flows and guys know what their role is. Like I said, we just play it to a T and deal with the results.”
Lately, Temple’s role with the Nets has been significant, and growing.
It started with an injury to Caris LeVert. Temple moved into the starting lineup against Utah. Then the Nets lost Kyrie Irving as well.
As Atkinson has shuffled and experimented with rotations and lineups in the absence of the opening night starting backcourt, Temple has become a bit of a trigger for the rolling changes. He’s typically the first starter out of the game, but that allows Atkinson to bring him back earlier to play significant minutes with the second unit.
Over Brooklyn’s last four games, Temple is playing a team-high 34.4 minutes per game while averaging 14.8 points and shooting 48.8 percent overall and 44.1 percent from 3-point range.
“I’ve actually played kind of the same as I did the last few games,” said Temple. “I’ve been coming out early and coming back in with the second unit. I think we all, the starters played a little less than we usually did because the second unit we made a good run end of the first, beginning of the second quarter. Whenever coach puts me in I’m just going to just do whatever I’ve got to do. I understand my role and I’m going to play it as well as I can.”
Temple has made at least four 3-pointers in three of Brooklyn’s last four games, beginning with a then season-high 18 points against Sacramento — one of his eight former teams — on Friday. He topped it with 22 points and six 3-pointers against the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Temple’s string of three 3-pointers at the opening of the second quarter launched the Nets to a 40-point quarter and a 63-57 halftime lead. Another in the final second of the third quarter kept the Nets within five going into the fourth. His sixth of the game cut brought the Nets within three, 104-101, with 5:22 to go.
“I think we need a scorer on that second unit, and he kind of provided that,” said Atkinson. “I thought he played a great game.”