The Brooklyn Nets have been forced to adjust to finding a winning formula without NBA superstar Kevin Durant in the lineup. The team is 26-13 when he is in the lineup, but the team has gone 2-4 since his sprained MCL injury.
Among the ongoing challenges that the Nets face is the fit with Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton when the two share the floor. With Simmons not being a willing shooter, it’s limiting to a half-court offense when he initiates a lot of the action with a non-shooting threat at the five like Claxton.
“I think that we’re still trying to figure it out,” Claxton said of his fit with Simmons. “But for us two, I think it starts on the defensive side of the ball. It’s our job to anchor the defense, so when we’re doing that and getting out in transition, so things aren’t stagnant, I think that both of our jobs easier and easier for everybody on the court.”
One of the fixes the Nets have recently experienced success in using is to have Kyrie Irving initiate more of the offense instead of Simmons. With Irving being the lone healthy superstar for the Nets right now, opposing teams are more aggressive in trapping him to get the ball out of his hands.
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These situations can create short-roll playmaking chances for Simmons. The strategy has been on display recently, with Irving scoring 30 or more in his last three games, including a 48-point performance against the Utah Jazz to spark a string of consecutive wins.
“Yeah, it was great,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “We were able to have a little bit of both, with Ky having the pick-and-roll in his hands, Ben setting sometimes, and Nic [Claxton] being the dunker. And so what that does is hopefully if they do trap Ky, then Ben’s able to [be the] playmaker with two shooters with Nic at the rim.
“We’re growing to be able to be in comfortable positions with Ben and Nic. That was part of our shootaround the other day, is getting them being perfect position so that when dudes make plays, we can capitalize.”
Irving isn’t too concerned about who has the ball in their hands. He understands that it takes a collective effort to win consistently. He did emphasize the need to be aggressive for whoever does have the ball.
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“It doesn’t matter who has the ball in their hands as long as they’re being aggressive [and] it’s the best shot for our team,” Irving said. “Objectively, this team sport is to win basketball games, not identify one person to carry everybody every single night … it’s just a team attitude, team atmosphere, and living with the results.”
If the Nets can stay afloat while Durant recovers from injury, they will be in a good spot at the All-Star break. They are 29-17 and rank fourth in the Eastern Conference, with just a game separating them from the fifth-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers, but they do have four games separating them from the next closest team.
