Nets face tough contract decision with Prince
Nets players said newcomer Taurean Prince was the breakout star of their pickup games this offseason. Then the preseason rolled around and he’s been even better.
Now the Nets have a tough call to make over the next few days: Whether to lock the 25-year-old forward up with an extension, or risk letting him hit restricted free agency next summer.
Prince told The Post he hopes it’s the former.
“I want to be here as long as I can. And whatever happens, happens, but I’m just happy to play good basketball,” Prince told The Post. “One hundred percent, yeah. For sure. This is the best organization I’ve been in.
“Top to bottom, from [general manager] Sean [Marks] all the way to the cooks to the janitors, [everybody’s] involved in welcoming as far as family. I can 100 percent be myself here. That goes a long way as far as players, because it makes your job a lot easier on the court.”
Prince has made things look surprisingly easy on the court. He’ll go into Friday’s preseason finale leading the Nets in scoring at 18.0 points per game on 63.3 percent shooting. He’s hit a misprint-like 14 of 19 from deep.
“I thought [Prince] was a great driver. He can handle the basketball and get to the basket, draw a lot of fouls. He guards different positions well,” DeAndre Jordan said. “He plays different positions for us, three, four whatever we ask him to play. He’s going to be an X factor for us this season.”
Spencer Dinwiddie praised Prince’s attention to detail, as well as his defense. Getting him back to defending the way he did his first two seasons is a top priority, and having a similar scheme to what Mike Budenholzer used while the two were with the Hawks should help.
“That’s part of him being with Bud and understanding how we operate, very similar systems,” said Kenny Atkinson, formerly Budenholzer’s lead assistant in Atlanta. “He told me the terminology is the same he used in Atlanta. That makes the transition smoother for him.”
The Nets have until Monday to ink Prince to an extension. They signed Caris LeVert to one in August to stave off his restricted free agency, but opted not to do so with D’Angelo Russell last summer.
“He’s been excellent quite honestly from Day 1. Now it’s continue that,” Atkinson said. “It’s got to be against Toronto and Minnesota and continue that progression and be that 3and-D guy he was those first two years in Atlanta. That was his real focus. It’s been real positive.”