With their star point guard Jeremy Lin missing a handful of game due to hamstring issues, the 11-53 Nets found an unlikely production with Sean Kilpatrick providing ample support to Brook Lopez. The undrafted shooting guard out of University of Cincinnati is currently averaging 13.5 points, 4 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the last-seeded Brooklyn team despite some inconsistencies.
Missing their chief playmaker, the team's offense was obviously in disarray. They had trouble closing out games where Lin usually excels. We have to give credit to Isaiah Whitehead for stepping up to the plate despite being a rookie, together with Spencer Dinwiddie towards the end of last year to fill the shoes of Lin.
Now that with the undrafted combo guard out of Harvard, the Nets appeared to be more calm and relaxed, knowing that they have the same guy who brought New York back to its toes with his Cinderella run with the Knicks several years back. If they are looking for an epitome of patience and high-octane but under-control tempo, they are looking at the perfect guy.
And oh, tallying 4-41 without the mohawk is far from 5-12 when he's on the court.
New York Post mentioned that since the All-Star break, the Nets probably needed some rest to figure the problem out among themselves. In their last 8 games, their adjustment made some drastic improvement during their stretch. Ranked 4th from the bottom for three-point percentage, they are now knocking at the .500 mark. They also ranked 12th in both steals and shooting rate since the break after previously seen at 24th spot.
After giving Bojan Bogdanovic to the Washington Wizards and getting a first-rounder, Andrew Nicholson and Quincy Acy in return, the Nets may have found out how to play with cohesion and Atkinson loves what he is seeing. For a team who depended on veterans down low, waiving Luis Scola isn't an easy decision after all, leaving Lopez and bruiser Trevor Booker down low.
The move even benefited the Croatian swingman. The 27-year old Bogdanovic is averaging 16 points for the Wizards, including a 29-point outburst against the Phoenix Suns and a couple of 27-point outings against Orlando Magic and in Toronto, both resulting in wins. His team now has won 7 of their last 10 games with him.
Newsday highlighted that the BKN bench had scored at least 50 points in eight of their past 9 games, indicating that despite the team figuring it out too late, the team is playing better and that's what matters right now. Good thing, the management is okay with the progress, saying that they are remaining patient on the progress of the team.
Hopefully, these upward surge will carry the Nets for next season.
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