The Nets coaches and players have more confidence in their lineup
For conspiracy theories, the Nets’ season started a bit early, but their personnel decisions before the first game Make things too easy.
Their first preseason happened to be against the Los Angeles Lakers-yes, many people hope that the Lakers can enter the Finals and compete with the Nets for the championship. Before the first game of the preseason, the head coach Steve Nash decided to let almost all the rotation players sit on the bench.
This means Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Blake Griffin, Patty Mills, Joe Harris and James Johnson are all sitting on the sidelines collecting information about their opponents. Similarly, when the opposing Lakers played against the second lineup, they consisted of Jevin Carter, Bruce Brown, Deandre Bembri, Paul Millsap and LaMarcus. ·How much intelligence can Aldridge collect in the starting lineup of ?
Nash sat on the sidelines before the game with a smile on his face. This may be planned in advance to hide the true face of the Nets from opponents.
"No, I think it’s a bit early to discuss game skills."The coach said with a smile. "If I can, I would love to throw them a few balls, but it's still early. I think both teams may look at it the same way.
Steve Nash has a plan to have , Kevin Durant and all his other common players in the first preseason game against the Lakers. Watch.
The Lakers also let LeBron James and Russell Westbrook rest, but chose to play in their first exhibition game, Anthony Davis. David The appearance of Span3span gives the Nets a real opportunity to see how two veterans , Millsap and Aldridge, who will definitely play an important role this season, deal with an inside and outside player in the league.
However, the Lakers only saw the Nets that Nash wanted them to see. In all-around mode, the Nets have one of the deepest and most versatile lineups of all teams. Nash said this is not involved. Tactics, but he is testing his best double big lineup against a big opponent who has the best chance to beat the Nets.
"It's really too early now, and we hope for this year in a proper way. Players who are going to play a lot of playing time increase training," he said. "It is not always the best, safest or smartest way to line them up for the first game. Everything here is its.
When it comes to these, the Brooklyn Nets will always have more to come. They seek every advantage, whether it's a matchup on the court or an off-court workout recovery plan.
Cam Thomas must improve his ability as a defender and organizer to enter the Nets rotation
or maybe nothing at all. We know we have a long season and it doesn’t matter to see that,” Nash said of his main rotation. “It’s more important to stick to our plan and make sure the players adapt so they can start as safe and healthy as possible. New season.
"We will do this. It will not be long, but at the same time it will be a long season, so we have enough time to solve the problem. We have a lot of newcomers." "We will see rotation. Our team has a lot of veterans. We have a lot of high scorers in this team, so we will wait and see," Nash said. "This is a difficult requirement for young players. But we love him. We think he can develop into a very good player, but I don't want to overkill."
Nash pointed out that the defense and organization are Thomas Areas that need to grow, and take the next step before serious consideration.
"We know that Cam is a shot maker. He can shoot and create his own shots," the coach continued. "These are what he did in college and why he was selected in the first round. The other thing we must continue to work on is to get him into a position where he knows how to play, not just as a player. A famous scorer, and as a defender, as a person who creates offensive opportunities for his teammates, whether it is his off-the-ball running or his decision-making. These are things we want to continue to develop with him, but we know him He can score and he can reach his position."
However, Thomas disagrees with the argument that he has been struggling defensively after entering NBA .
"This is my first time in the NBA, so you are studying," he said. "I am a rookie who plays with all the masters. They already know the skills and all the differences are. I learn as I walk. So I don't think I really struggle. Of course, I have encountered some misfortunes. You are learning. , But I’m not really struggling.”
Thomas is obviously a talented player. If his performance continues to shine at this level, then he can even steal playing time from the veteran in front of him. If Irving cannot be resolved at the beginning of the regular season due to COVID-19 vaccination status, he may also rotate.
Last season, the Nets struggled to reach the end due to lack of personnel. Instead, they were forced to play small, Blake Griffin or Jeff Green most of the time in the center position.
The first game of the preseason showed the Nets' versatility and lineup composition, perhaps on a whim. Nash started with LaMarcus Aldridge in the fifth position and veteran Paul Millsap in the fourth position. This is a lineup. Millsap said that the team is already trotting the lineup in practice, and fans should look forward to our game with the center big team.
"Not bad. I think Millsap brings comprehensiveness, and LaMarcus clearly brings us his skills as a real big man," Nash added. "They are all smart, know how to play and can play against each other, even if this is not the traditional look of our team. They both have a very good camp. Both move well, play well and show their Wisdom and skill. I think they played well together, although this is not something we traditionally have to do,Let two big men play.
Nash did not provide valuable information about Irving’s future. Irving reportedly has not been vaccinated, but has not been confirmed (the team has not confirmed), and he did not participate in the media day in person.
Los Angeles does not have the same COVID- 19 Authorized and allowed the visiting team to allow unvaccinated players to participate in the game. For the same reason, he was able to participate in the training camp in San Diego, which relaxed the COVID-19 vaccination rules, and his opener against the Lakers in the preseason
Cam Thomas shines in his NBA preseason debut »
However, the Nets After returning to New York, Irving should have completed the vaccination mission there.
Nash said he was not sure whether his star guard could participate in the team's training at home.
Millsap revealed Irving’s situation at the San Diego training camp.
"Come and do his job. Just come in and you can work," Millsap said. "He is an employee. He comes in to work every day. That's it. "Summer league performance is usually a mirror.
Therefore, when the outstanding rookie of the Nets this summer, Keim Thomas and Sacramento's Davin Mitchell won the summer league combined MVP honor. , This is a recognition of his potential as a scorer, but history shows that either way is possible. Today’s summer league MVP may be tomorrow’s NBA superstar or tomorrow’s role player.Or tomorrow's CBA foreign aid.
Thomas can gain a foothold in the NBA. It is increasingly clear that his future is destined to be more than a complementary role. In his first official NBA game, despite the preseason, Brooklyn's first round pick from Louisiana State University stole the limelight at Staples Center.
As soon as Thomas got the ball, everyone's eyes were on him.
"To score is to score. I don't know why people think that things cannot be repeated (from college to summer league to professional players)," he said confidently. "If you can score, you can score. It doesn't matter who you play against."
He restarted from where he left in the Las Vegas game, when no player could play one-on-one. Defending him, every shot he makes looks as peaceful as water. Thomas scored 21 points in 22 minutes, shot 7 of 14 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. After helping the Nets beat the Lakers 123-97 on Sunday, Nets coach Steve Nash placed his star guard on the bench with a 25-point lead in the fourth quarter. It's as if he is a superstar on this team who wants to avoid injury.
"Cam can score. We know he is a man who can shoot," Nash said. "He did some tonight. But in general, (I) am satisfied with the level transferred from training camp."
In fact, the damage has been done. If it is not against the scoreboard, then it must be right. The conceit of the Lakers. After all, Wayne Ellington and Rajon Rondo are considered high-quality veteran defenders, who often do not score in All-Star games.
However, Thomas noticed from the moment he stepped onto the floor that the Lakers were giving up mid-range shooting.This is a fatal flaw of Frank Vogel . He obviously didn't detect Thomas well. He didn't know that jump shots and flyballs were his mainstays in the three-point line.
This result made Ellington on the Staples Center's depressed list. At that time, Thomas dusted the man defending him with a combination of two backwards, which made the veteran. The forward fell into a passive position.
Later in the same quarter, Thomas Europ finished a throwing round around Rondo, who was in a good position. He was unstoppable all night.
Thomas found a way to play where there seemed to be no way forward. Anthony Davis almost defended him in the first quarter, but Thomas retracted the ball, turned to face the basket, and made a shot before the shot timer expired.
Of course, that ball also hit Ellington's arm, and the ball that the rookie said kept him in rhythm in the next game.
"Mid-range jumper. The clock is over. I can see it clearly, I just want to pick it up as soon as possible, and then it goes in," Thomas said. "This is a normal shot."
Span 2 again in the corner of Mars at the end of the second quarter. . This is where his second observation comes into play. Yes, he noticed that the Lakers gave up the mid-range defense, but he also noticed that they added icing on the wing pick and roll.
So Thomas pretended to accept the cover of LaMarcus Aldridge,Then bring it back to the right and shoot from the bottom line side in order to shoot in Ellington's game. If it's chess instead of checkers, the rookie looks like a master, playing against high-level NBA games.
How a player like Thomas fell to the 27th overall pick is still a big mistake in this year’s NBA draft, and how other players in the league let this player fall into the Nets with the best players is a headache. . Thomas does not intend to play too much time after Harden, Irving and Mills this season, but learning from these three, plus Durant, is a game for the future of the Nets victory.
In the Nets' first preseason game, it was obvious that Thomas was ready for the bright lights, and he was not a fluke in the summer league. He is ready for his moment, which is the moment against the Lakers, and will continue to appear in the Nets' championship battle.
"We will see the rotation. Our team has a lot of veterans. We have a lot of scoring ability in this team, so we will wait and see," Nash said. "This is a difficult requirement for young players. But we love him. We think he can develop into a very good player, but I don't want to go beyond it."
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