Nets Starters and Reserves when Durant returns?

[Whiskey Slick]

C DeAndre Jordan (Claxton/Green)
F Kevin Durant (Green/Perry)
F Joe Harris (Brown/Green)
G Kyrie Irving (Brown/Shamet)
G James Harden (TJ/Shamet)

TLC
Spencer Dinwiddie
Chris Chiozza
Buyout (TBD)

NOTES:

It's possible Nash can start Bruce Brown and use Harris and Green as the 6th and 7th men.
It's also conceivable he can start Uncle Jeff and use Harris and Brown as the 6th and 7th men.

But for now I'm assuming Harris remains the starter with Brown and Green as the primary reserves, although I think it's flexible and perhaps will be determined by matchups.

[BrooklynDynasty]

That’s a good regular season lineup, but by the playoffs we should be starting Claxton or Brown depending on matchups, and Shamet/TJ reduced to mop up minutes only

[Suwanee]

That’s a good regular season lineup, but by the playoffs we should be starting Claxton or Brown depending on matchups, and Shamet/TJ reduced to mop up minutes only

They'll still get plenty of minutes, for there'll be a lot of garbage time if the roster is fully healthy.

[Basileus777]

I don't know where we even have minutes for a buyout guy. Frontcourt rotation is really full with DJ/Claxton/Brown/Durant/Green. When Durant is playing 40 minutes a game at the 4/5 in the playoffs, the minutes for our existing guys will barely be there. Shamet and TJ will still get minutes though, we'll still be playing plenty of small lineups. Honestly if anything our need is for another wing.

[Whiskey Slick]

I don't know where we even have minutes for a buyout guy. Frontcourt rotation is really full with DJ/Claxton/Brown/Durant/Green. When Durant is playing 40 minutes a game at the 4/5 in the playoffs, the minutes for our existing guys will barely be there. Shamet and TJ will still get minutes though, we'll still be playing plenty of small lineups. Honestly if anything our need is for another wing.

Shamet and TJ have gotten progressively better and we can live with them as our backup Guards, but if a better and more proven Guard is bought out and he still has some game left in him, that would be an upgrade who can take the most minutes as a Guard off the bench.

Before Claxton I was hoping for a BIG, but now I'm hoping for a quality G who still has game.

Are there any Guards who look like they might be bought out, who would be an upgrade off the bench?

We wouldn't waive TJ or Shamet for him, but we would release someone like Cook or Roberson who is useless.

Riddick?

[therealbig3]

We're already gonna have reduced minutes for everyone once Durant and Green are back. I think the players most affected are going to be TJ/Shamet/TLC. Of those three, if someone needs to be dropped from the rotation altogether, I would go with TLC. I think his basketball IQ is just too low to be a consistent rotation player for a contending team, and he doesn't shoot it any better than TJ or Shamet. And I think TJ is the better overall defender too (doesn't commit the same dumb fouls on defense that TLC does).

A buyout big also probably doesn't crack our big man rotation of DJ/Claxton/Green, unless there's a specific matchup we need to deal with (like Embiid). But other than Embiid, there's really no big man in the East that poses a problem like that. There really aren't a lot of power bigs that are going to bully you inside like Embiid. For everyone else, Claxton and Green backing up Jordan is fine, tbh.

IDK, we're kind of ridiculously deep still. A bench of Brown, Claxton, Green, Shamet, TJ, and TLC is a good mix of hustle, defense, shooting, and rim running...just a little small, but Claxton has shown a lot of promise. Just because we're small doesn't mean we have to play a 7 foot scrub for the heck of it.

[Whiskey Slick]

There really aren't a lot of power bigs that are going to bully you inside like Embiid.

Honestly, the only Center I see who fits that description is Andre Drummond. By no means am I implying he's as good as Embiid, and of course there are better all-around Centers in the league, but if we're specifically looking for a Center who can play BULLY BALL with Joel Embiid and at least neutralize him to the point where he doesn't kill you, something even Gobert couldn't do (he got his head handed to him). Drummond has the size, girth, bulk and toughness to fight the bully and bloody his nose, metaphorically speaking.

[MrDollarBills]

Jordan, Claxton, Durant, Green
Harden, Irving, Harris, Brown, Shamet, Johnson

No one else needs to play.

[ecuhus1981]

^
I don't mean to be a contrarian. I think people are enamored with the idea of Drummond, especially against Embiid. They see the size, strength, length and athleticism, and assume they are peers, or even that the other AD is something of an Embiid "stopper". In the years of their direct matchup, Joel has torched this matchup. No offense to Andre, he's just not smart enough as a basketball player to contain the MVP candidate, like, at all.

I'm not going to boycott if we sign Andre Drummond. We would be very lucky to add him, and he certainly could help us toward a championship run. Heck, he could prove me wrong and play outside himself with the right motivation. After all, if he's on the Nets facing Joel, his sole responsibility would be to bother Embiid, very different than the role he's had in previous H2H's.

I am not hanging hope on it, though. We have enough. We are enough. If we acquire some coat tail riders, great. We have the roster flexibility to support additional signings, increased competition for rotation roles is healthy. But I've been pleased with our entire lineup lately. We can taste it, everybody has their head on straight. They're locking in and gearing up for a run. Good Times. Scary Hours.

[Whiskey Slick]

Jordan, Claxton, Durant, Green
Harden, Irving, Harris, Brown, Shamet, Johnson

No one else needs to play.

Agreed wholeheartedly, that's why I listed the SAME 10 as our primary rotation.

The rest I listed as bench guys in case of injuries, or to use down the stretch of blowouts.

The only way this changes, other than injuries, is if Dinwiddie somehow makes it back this season which is unlikely, but I'm not completely ruling it out. If that happens, it's to the bench for Shamet.

[Basileus777]

We're already gonna have reduced minutes for everyone once Durant and Green are back. I think the players most affected are going to be TJ/Shamet/TLC.

Why is our backcourt going to be most affected by two guys that play all their minutes at the 4 and 5? The crunch is in the front court where Claxton, DJ, and Brown are competing for time with Durant and Green. I really don't see this team changing its philosophy and player bigger all of a sudden.

[therealbig3]

We're already gonna have reduced minutes for everyone once Durant and Green are back. I think the players most affected are going to be TJ/Shamet/TLC.

Why is our backcourt going to be most affected by two guys that play all their minutes at the 4 and 5? The crunch is in the front court where Claxton, DJ, and Brown are competing for time with Durant and Green. I really don't see this team changing its philosophy and player bigger all of a sudden.

Well because I think Brown now moves to being more of a guard with Durant and Green back, and with Claxton's emergence. And I think he's the first guard off the bench given his play. Durant also plays the 3 a lot, so that means less minutes at the 3 for a lot of these guys.

[sashaturiaf]

Drummond is becoming a bit of a pipe dream. As much as he wants a ring I don't think he's coming here to play 20 minutes a game as the garbage man.

And if the Nets are giving Drummond 30 minutes and a featured role in the offense. I'd rather just go Claxton for 10 minutes a game and give the rest of the minutes to DJ and KD at the 5.

[Whiskey Slick]

We're already gonna have reduced minutes for everyone once Durant and Green are back. I think the players most affected are going to be TJ/Shamet/TLC.

Why is our backcourt going to be most affected by two guys that play all their minutes at the 4 and 5? The crunch is in the front court where Claxton, DJ, and Brown are competing for time with Durant and Green. I really don't see this team changing its philosophy and player bigger all of a sudden.

Well because I think Brown now moves to being more of a guard with Durant and Green back, and with Claxton's emergence. And I think he's the first guard off the bench given his play. Durant also plays the 3 a lot, so that means less minutes at the 3 for a lot of these guys.

That's a great point.

I didn't even consider it when I said we might be looking for a veteran third Guard.

You're right, the return of Durant allows Nash to move Brown back to G in the rotation.

So that's the first G off the bench, for Harden and Kyrie, and we're not upgrading over Brown.

[Basileus777]

Brown only really works as a guard in a small ball lineup though, in which case he's not really a guard. Brown and DJ on the court together is really not something we need to see very often. Brown's value is his finishing inside and ability to switch all over on defense, you are not maximizing his value or helping the offense by putting him with another non-shooter. A backup guard is a completely different role than he's been playing for this team.

[GYK]

That is an fine. Weak bench if honest. Especially in a game planned series.
Spencer contract and the MLE will be getting 24-30mpg.

[MrDollarBills]

I still think we need at least two buy out pick ups regardless of what Claxton, Shamet and Johnson are doing.

[Whiskey Slick]

I still think we need at least two buy out pick ups regardless of what Claxton, Shamet and Johnson are doing.

I have a hunch the minutes Reggie Perry received in the G-league have him much better prepared for his second go-around in the NBA, so instead of two buyouts I can see us going with Reggie and one buyout, and it's a wrap.

[Hello Brooklyn]

I think I'm off the Drummond train too. Claxton is just better in terms of what this team needs. He won't get minutes or be happy.

As far as dealing with Embiid, I think its smarter to go small and force him to keep up with us. Put Embiid into constant switches with Kyrie/Harden. Double him .

I don't think going big is even going to help. It will just force us to play the way they want us too.

If we were to add anyone off the buyout it would be another wing defender. Someone like Ariza or PJ Tucker.

[Basileus777]

That is an fine. Weak bench if honest. Especially in a game planned series.
Spencer contract and the MLE will be getting 24-30mpg.

I don't see anyone the Nets can feasibly acquire getting 30 mpg in a playoff series.