Kenny Atkinson thinks he knows what his Hornets counterpart said at halftime Friday.
“[Charlotte] probably had a talk at halftime and said we can’t let this guy get so many touches and so many shots in the post,’’ Atkinson told writers Friday. “They started fronting him in the post, and quite honestly, we’re going to have to work on doing a better job of getting him some counters to that.”
Lopez played well early, but in the third quarter, he looked frustrated. Without Jeremy Lin (or veterans Greivis Vasquez or Randy Foye), it was tough. Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick gave it their best, but one is a rookie, the other a shooting guard given extra duties.
“It’s a huge adjustment [without Lin], no question, because he brings so much to our team,” Lopez said. “It was just a matter of giving Isaiah confidence and letting him know that we’re all out there with him and have trust in him. It’s not just one of us on the floor.”
Whitehead showed a lot of improvement, with eight points, three assists and three turnovers. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, playing a secondary distributor role, showed he can contribute as well, with six assists and no turnovers.
And Lin, out with a strained hamstring, isn’t coming back anytime soon. His two-week evaluation period ends with the Nets on the road, after a six-game absence. Assuming he’s made progress, the Nets might want to be cautious and wait till the team returns home on November 20.
When will Foye and Vasquez be back. Foye will likely play Tuesday vs. the Timberwolves, his first game of the year. The Nets haven’t said much about Vasquez, who’s ankle woes flared again this week.
Would they make a roster move in the meantime? Seems doubtful, at least for now. Not many healthy point guards out there and the Nets like giving Whitehead experience. As for the two point guards on the Long Island roster, both Yogi Ferrell and Boris Dallo are works-in-progress.
- How Jeremy Lin’s absence made life harder for Brook Lopez - Brian Lewis - New York Post
- Isaiah Whitehead, Sean Kilpatrick must get in sync with Brook Lopez - Greg Logan - Newsday
- Jeremy Lin’s injury creates opportunity for younger Nets stars to shine - Peter Botte - New York Daily News