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Is Nets’ Coach Fernández Mismanaging the Young Talent
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- Is Nets’ Coach Fernández Mismanaging the Young Talent
(Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
The Brooklyn Nets are taking an interesting approach to managing their young talent early in the season during their fifth 0-5 start in franchise history.
Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. is resting the first half of a back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks . Brooklyn has rested the rookie before in its first back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Pacers.
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Taking a cautious approach to Brown's lingering back injury from his freshman days at Louisville is the right call. Sitting him against arguably the easier matchup isn't.
Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) will miss at least two weeks, and Ivica Zubac (ankle) has no return timetable. Indiana is without its star playmaker and glass-cleaning big man.
Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard's shotmaking still make the Pacers a formidable opponent for a weak Nets defense. Brooklyn is allowing 121.2 points per game, the sixth-most in the league.
New York has struggled this season, with two losses to the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers . Nonetheless, the Knicks are contenders with Jalen Brunson at their nucleus, torching defenders with his precise footwork.
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Another questionable decision by Brooklyn is not calling up second-year guard Ben Saraf from his G League assignment with Long Island .
Fernández is missing a second "true point guard" with Brown resting, leaving Nolan Traoré as the lone table setter. Saraf showed promise in the preseason with his playmaking and shooting.
He averaged 4.3 points on 60% from three, three assists and one rebound in three games. The 20-year-old scored a preseason-best 20 points in the opener against the Charlotte Hornets and dished four assists in his final game against the Washington Wizards .
Brooklyn's offense has been clunky and inefficient without a floor general to help Julius Randle with the starters. That's a significant factor in Fernández's decision to swap Keon Ellis for Traoré.
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Without Saraf and Brown, the bench unit has no playmaker to run the offense and generate quality shots. Terance Mann, Danny Wolf or Ellis would have to step up for the first half of the back-to-back, and that's not their typical role.
The Nets are searching for their first win this season, but the process is a bit of a head-scratcher. Lineup balance is key to mitigating the offensive mistakes the team has been making, like extended possessions of Randle isolations.
Youth should be an underrated strength for the team, but they aren't maximizing their young players properly. It's a concerning early-season trend, but there is time to fix it over the next several months.
