Backup plan
Bench players remain at ready as injury bug continues to strike
The phrase “next man up” might as well be written in big bold letters on the wall at the HSS Training Center in Brooklyn where the Nets practice. Injuries, long- and short-term, have made the expression a staple of daily addresses to the media.
The latest victim is point guard D’Angelo Russell, who suffered a left knee contusion during Saturday’s 114-106 loss to the Jazz. He is expected to miss several games.
“I think we’ll just keep reevaluating day-to-day,” coach Kenny Atkinson said Monday. “I really don’t want to put a timetable on it.”
Take from that what you will, but the Nets are preparing for temporary life without their leading scorer. Russell has enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 20.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his first 12 games.
While Atkinson admits the loss is significant, his stance on the Nets’ injury woes has remained consistent since Jeremy Lin was ruled out for the season with a ruptured patella tendon.
This roster, he insists, is far better armed than it once was to handle these types of problems.
For the 5-8 Nets — losers in six of their last eight — this is not the ideal time to be without their star. Though the team returns to Barclays Center after a five-game western swing Tuesday, things will not get any easier as they host the Celtics — the hottest team in the league. Boston sits atop the East after winning 12 consecutive games.
And it doesn’t get any easier. In the next two weeks, the Nets will face the likes of Utah, Golden State, Cleveland, Portland, Memphis and Houston. It is unclear when or if Russell will be back during that stretch.
Nonetheless, Atkinson said he “feels a little bit better” about the current situation given his personnel. Spencer Dinwiddie, fully healed from a hamstring issue that kept him sidelined against the Jazz, will step into the starting lineup. The 24-year-old out of Colorado is averaging career-highs in points (9.8) and assists (4.9) in merely 22.3 minutes per game.
When Russell missed the home game against the Cavaliers on Oct. 25, Dinwiddie notched 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, helping the Nets pull off the 112-107 victory.
“No two games are the same,” Dinwiddie said. “When you’re in the starting spot, especially with the way we are going to play, I just think it means there are going to be more possessions to work with. It’s just on me to convert those possessions and help the team.”
Former Seton Hall standout Isaiah Whitehead will take over backup duties, with Sean Kilpatrick seeing a bump in his minutes as well. Expect 6-foot-6 shooting guard Caris LeVert to handle the ball a little bit more than usual.
Whitehead — a second-year player — has bounced between the G-League and the NBA, appearing in just three of the Nets’ 13 games. On Saturday, he logged 13 minutes and scored eight points.
Still, Atkinson has seen enough promising signs from all of his players to remain confident.
“Spencer’s made a jump up. Isaiah has got a year under his belt. And obviously Sean played a lot of minutes last year,” he said. “I just think our roster is a lot better equipped this year to deal with guys being out.
“I look at these things as an opportunity.”
Adversity can create opportunity — one which Dinwiddie, Whitehead, and Kilpatrick now seem better positioned to seize.