Nets’ 2nd unit helping Vaughn keep team fresh
Three veterans and a kid. Sounds like a fun holiday movie, but it could be used to describe the state of the Nets’ bench, too.
On Saturday night, coach Jacque Vaughn saw the group in action and had to like what he saw from the foursome of experienced players Dennis Smith Jr., Royce O’Neale, Dorian Finney-Smith, and third-year pro Day’Ron Sharpe.
The quartet was a key part of the team’s victory over the inept Pistons, combining for 32 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds. Perhaps most importantly, their presence enabled Vaughn to spread out the minutes, and so the Nets (14-15) had plenty left in the tank on the second game of a back-toback.
“It’s the way our team is built to have depth and versatility. And when we’re missing that depth and versatility, it puts a strain on the group,” Vaughn said. “And [Saturday], you look at our minutes across the board in both of those two games — pretty good, which I think gave us a chance on the backto-back with the physical team that we played [Friday in the Nuggets] to have enough juice. I thought we had enough juice [Saturday]. And even to be able to spread the minutes around both units, it’s huge for us to be healthy.”
The lack of quality depth had been an issue during the Nets’ recent five-game losing streak. They were badly outplayed in the fourth quarter of a pair of road losses to the Jazz and Nuggets.
Of the four players, Smith’s recent return from a seven-game absence due to a strained lower back may be the most important aspect of the bench unit. Overall, the Nets are 8-7 when he’s active and 6-8 when he is sidelined. The Nets have won three of the past four games Smith has played in, with the lone loss on Friday to the defending champion Nuggets. The former lottery pick has developed into a strong defender and he lightens the burden on starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Plus, Smith and Finney-Smith have a connection dating back to their days with the Mavericks, and seem to click well together.
“It’s interesting. I think those two really feed off each other,” Vaughn said. “They have a previous relationship. They’re able to push each other which is able to drive us defensively. So it’s definitely a piece that we were missing when [Smith] was gone. There’s a physicality that he plays with. There’s an edge that he plays with, that he gives to the rest of the group.
“So the more he can stay healthy, the better we are. And then you look at the minutes since he’s played. I don’t have to extend Spencer. We were playing [Trendon Watford] out of position and so those things have a trickle-down effect when [Smith] doesn’t play.”
Smith has averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 assists in the two games since returning. The 6-foot-9 Sharpe followed up a double-double on Friday with 11 points against the Pistons while Finney-Smith has reached double figures in three straight games.
The Nets still aren’t fully healthy. Ben Simmons (left lower back nerve impingement) and Lonnie Walker IV (left hamstring strain) are still both out. At some point, they will get them back, which would likely help the bench even more.
Clearly, the second unit is important for the Nets. That has become evident so far in this up-and-down season.