For Nets’ Bembry the breaks have been trey-mendous
DeAndre’ Bembry has credited two things for his improved three-point shooting this season: playing alongside two superstar scorers and facilitators and a minor tweak to his shooting form. While James Harden and Kevin Durant have made the game easier for all their teammates, no Net has benefited more from their star power than Bembry, who is shooting a career-high 48% from downtown this season. The sixth-year forward has never shot better than 30% from three in any of his previous five NBA seasons.
“I’m getting the most room I’ve ever got,” Bembry said after practice on Wednesday. “I think all of us are, (Patty Mills), (Joe Harris). But for the most part, I’m getting a lot of open looks and just knocking them down with confidence. So I think that’s the biggest thing: shooting them with confidence.”
Bembry said he had to make a change to his jump shot because defenders have become good at closing out, no matter how far away they are from the shooter.
“More so the speed, the tempo of the shot, more so like speeding it up,” he said. “That was really the biggest difference for me, just trying to get the shot off before the defenders could get to me. It’s working so far.”
The Nets are only 32 games into the season, which leaves a lot of time for Bembry’s percentages to skew in either direction.
Steve Nash said he is happy Bembry is shooting well, but is also happy with the other facets of his game.
“It’s too early to say why or where this is going, but I’ve been proud of him,” Nash said. “He’s in the league for his defense, his athleticism, his kind of all-court game. For him to add the shooting component could be pivotal to him and his career. We’ll see how this goes, but it’s been great to see him make shots. He works at it and he’s a great teammate and a great competitor and to see him have success has been a lot of fun and a source of pride for me.”
CAM THOMAS BACK
Nets rookie Cam Thomas has returned to the rotation after clearing the health and safety protocols, Nash said Wednesday.
Thomas became a regular part of the rotation after Harris’ ankle injury and, once back, will add even more depth in games Kyrie Irving is available to play.
HARRIS UPDATE
Sharpshooter Harris (ankle) has progressed to shooting, doing on-court work and conditioning. Nash said it’s “exciting to have Joe Harris back in the near future,” but also hedged on how soon that future will be.
“Still working through his rehab and ramping up,” Nash said. “He’s not necessarily out of the woods yet. He’s got some work to do.”
WATCHING FROM AFAR
Here’s what Irving has noticed about the Nets in games he hasn’t been able to help them this season:
“We’re capable of winning games, with or without some guys in the lineup,” he said. “And I think that’s a true testament or a true sign of a strong team internally. We have a lot of veterans that have been around the block for a while. We have a lot of years of experience collectively. And I was just nothing but proud to even be sitting at home and just cheering on the guys, because it’s just a great brand of basketball.”