Seth Curry goes to play via the ache, however the Nets can’t afford for him to get damage.
It’s regarding, given the Nets’ lack of shooters not named Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving: With Joe Harris out for the remainder of the marketing campaign after present process season-ending surgical procedure on his left ankle, Curry is essentially the most regular marksman obtainable on Brooklyn’s roster.
His availability, nonetheless, is much from regular: Curry is coping with a left ankle harm of his personal. It’s an harm he’s had since a month earlier than the blockbuster commerce that despatched him, Andre Drummond and Ben Simmons to Brooklyn in trade for All-Star guard James Harden and veteran ahead Paul Millsap.
The Nets listed Curry as questionable within the second sport of a back-to-back on Sunday towards the Charlotte Hornets, then upgraded him to obtainable within the hours main as much as tipoff.
“We undoubtedly should handle Seth right here,” stated Nets head coach Steve Nash. “We don’t have the posh to sit down him on a regular basis.”
The Nets completely don’t have that luxurious, not in a world the place Harris is out till subsequent fall.
Curry is capturing a mind-blowing 49.5% from downtown since his arrival in Brooklyn and is connecting on a median of three.2 threes per sport. The Nets’ next-best shooters—once more, not named Irving or Durant—are Patty Mills, rookie ahead Kessler Edwards, Bruce Brown and Goran Dragic.
Curry is teflon in comparison with the opposite shooters on the roster. Mills has confirmed to be a lights-out shooter as evidenced by his participation within the Three-Level Shootout, however he's liable to cold and hot stretches. Living proof: Coming into Sunday’s matchup towards the Hornets, Mills linked on solely eight of his earlier 36 makes an attempt from deep.
A whopping 22.2%.
The rookie Edwards has promising upside as a 3-and-D wing, however even when he shot the three at a 75% clip, he's on a two-way, hybrid, G-League contract that restricts him from taking part in within the playoffs. The Nets would have wanted to waive an end-of-the-rotation participant then convert Edwards’ contract into a typical deal for the rook to be eligible within the postseason, the place he wouldn’t have seen many minutes in Nash’s rotation anyway.
Brown is having one of the best capturing stretch of his profession. In reality, he's capturing 38.5% from downtown because the Feb. 10 Harden deal and subsequent waiving of DeAndre’ Bembry. Solely time will inform, nonetheless, if Brown’s sizzling capturing is a fluke or could be trusted below playoff strain. He was a sub-30% three-point shooter for 3 seasons earlier than his emergence as a shooter midseason.
As for Dragic, it’s honest to imagine a profession 36% three-point shooter will enhance from his present standing capturing simply 26% from downtown in 13 video games since signing with the Nets midseason. His current capturing, nonetheless, hasn’t been very palatable: Dragic is 10-of-38 from downtown as a member of the Nets.
All of the extra purpose why the Nets must be cautious with Curry, who's their most elite deep menace, thus this staff’s most viable choice to house the ground for Durant and Irving. Defenders can not assist off of Curry, who's capturing 68% on wide-open threes (no defender inside six or extra ft) and 46% with a defender inside four-to-six ft, in keeping with knowledge from NBA.com.
The difficulty with warning, nonetheless, is there may be typically an unfavorable various. To make use of an instance Nash frequented previously, the choice to resting Durant is shedding basketball video games whereas he watches from the bench. The choice to taking part in with out Curry is taking part in with out enough spacing, counting on streaky shooters to maintain the protection trustworthy.
“If we've the selection, we actually want (Seth), so we’ll see,” Nash stated of his lead reserve. “We’ve simply acquired to do one of the best we will and handle his well being the remainder of the best way and hopefully, he can preserve a degree of consolation taking part in via some discomfort.”
Curry stated his harm is one thing he’s going to should play via, and taking part in via an harm at all times places a participant susceptible to aggravation. He and Nash proceed to echo an analogous sentiment: He’s going to do what it takes to assist his staff, then cope with the ankle for good within the offseason.
“He performed rather well I believed final evening (in Miami) so, you recognize, it’s not the place it’s debilitating,” Nash stated. “If we will maintain him out of that class, I believe we’ll be OK.”
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