Welp, our burly everyman Joe Harris has been ruled out of Tuesday's game against Golden State, more than 24 hours early. Though the Nets have not listed an official injury, the fact that he is scratched this early suggests that it is serious. Nash mentioned in his Sunday post game press that it was a low ankle sprain, I'm guessing grade 2 by the fall. We may well be without our primary sniper for more than 4 weeks.
As has become our custom this star-crossed season, it's time for Next Man Up. Replacing an integral starter is never easy, especially since our 2nd unit is starting to gel. The show must go on, so let's roll through some of the possibilities:
I'm loathe to move either of Patty or LaMarcus into the 5, even though they both deserve it. For one, I don't want to separate them, because they have such great chemistry. Two, they are the offensive firepower off the bench that we need.
DeAndre has been on fire lately, but again, staggering him and Bruce helps to keep our defense elite for all 48 minutes.
Paul and even James deserve fill-in opportunities based on their previous resumé, but neither have shot well or looked spry so far. I'm not sure combining either with Blake for extended minutes will yield positive results.
My gut tells me that Steve will pick Jevon. He's a luxury 3rd-string PG, but the increased role of just being a 9th man has already spotlighted his limitations. Being a starter would only worsen that over-exposure. Plus, I feel like he goes mercenary on offense sometimes, knowing that this could be his big break.
Cam is not ready, y'all, he has a ton to learn about the league. It's a ridiculously small sample size, I know, but his on-off splits are atrocious. Still, it might be a sign that it's time to throw the rookie into the deep end and let him swim. Maybe it pays dividends down the line.
I think that's enough. Who do you think will be our provisional starter, and why?
