The Nets’ banged-up frontcourt acquired more healthy in time for Sunday’s showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Second-year energy ahead Noah Clowney suited up Sunday for the primary time since spraining his left ankle on Nov. 24.
He joined fellow energy ahead Dorian Finney-Smith, who made his return, as anticipated, from his personal left ankle sprain that stored him out 4 video games.
Clowney, 20, injured his ankle within the fourth quarter of Brooklyn’s 108-103 win in Sacramento. The Nets initially stated Clowney can be re-evaluated in two weeks, and Sunday’s recreation at Barclays Heart marked precisely two weeks for the reason that harm.
“That tells you that he really wants to get back, and obviously he is completely healthy,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernández stated of Clowney’s fast return.
“He’s able to be back with the team, but [it] also tells you that he cares and he wants to be with the group. He was playing well when the sprain happened, and now he wants to right away be with us, with his teammates.”
Clowney averaged 7.5 factors and three.1 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per recreation over 15 appearances, together with one begin, earlier than the harm, rising this yr as a daily piece of the Nets’ rotation after enjoying sporadically for many of his rookie season.
The 6-9 ahead, who had been listed as questionable on Saturday’s harm report, entered Sunday capturing 39.4% from the sector and 37.7% from 3-point vary.
Finney-Smith, in the meantime, didn’t seem on the harm report and stated throughout Saturday’s observe that he anticipated to return Sunday.
Identified for his hard-nosed protection, Finney-Smith entered Sunday averaging 10.7 factors per recreation whereas capturing a career-best 42.2% from 3-point vary in 15 appearances, all begins.
“We’re great when he’s on the floor,” Fernández stated of Finney-Smith. “We’re great when he is dressing and he’s part of the team. He always keeps everybody engaged when he’s on the bench. He talks. He supports his teammates on the court. … He makes winning plays on both ends, and all those little things are important.”
Fernández stated Clowney and Finney-Smith, 31, would each be capable to play “pretty regular minutes” however acknowledged he was “not gonna run them through the ground.”
They returned in time to face Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ all-world energy ahead who entered Sunday averaging an NBA-best 32.5 factors per recreation.
The Nets have navigated front-court accidents all season. Beginning middle Nic Claxton missed greater than every week final month with a lower-back pressure, and he has sat a number of occasions since returning for harm administration.
Backup middle Day’Ron Sharpe made his season debut final week after struggling a hamstring pressure throughout a coaching camp observe.
Brooklyn entered Sunday averaging an NBA-worst 38.3 rebounds per recreation.
“We’ve had centers out and power forwards out,” Fernández stated. “You can try to fight, but it’s hard when you don’t have the size out there. … Nic, Day’Ron, Doe and Noah, and now having them back is just great. Presence, physicality, paint/rim defense and rebounding, all of that should be better.”
NAVIGATING INJURIES
The Nets have been bitten by accidents past the frontcourt, too.
Main scorer Cam Thomas stays out with the hamstring pressure he suffered on Nov. 25, which is anticipated to price the electrical capturing guard not less than three weeks.
Fernández says he has leaned on his expertise as a G League coach to navigate the Nets’ rash of accidents throughout his first season in Brooklyn.
“In a good way, healthy competition within the group is extremely important,” Fernández stated. “I want the second group to try to fight to be in the first group, the guys that are out of the rotation to be in the rotation, and I think that is very important. The best groups, they have that in common, that competitiveness. It has to be healthy, but there’s no pink elephants. We’re fighting for minutes … and then do what’s best for the group. To me, that’s the best way to look at injuries.”
HARDEN’S INFLUENCE
Even earlier than they have been teammates, Thomas modeled his recreation after James Harden’s.
Thomas, 23, shared as a lot on a current episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” saying he started taking notes on Harden’s enjoying fashion again when the latter was in Houston.
“I really tried to pattern my game after James: the ball in his hand, the step-back threes, all the iso moves,” Thomas stated. “Before I even got there, I was already tapped in with watching James and knowing all his moves and stuff.”
The Nets drafted Thomas, himself an isolation specialist, in 2021, and he briefly overlapped with Harden earlier than Brooklyn traded the latter to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022.
Thomas is averaging a career-high 24.7 factors per recreation this season.
