Brook Lopez recovery is strong for Brooklyn Nets

The big question this off-season was how well would Brook Lopez recover from his two foot injuries last season and whether he'd be worth the $60.8 million contract the Nets gave him in July, considerably more than most thought he would get.

As Zach Harper of CBS Sports writes Saturday, "it's hard to really get too high or low on preseason performances because you're not seeing a lot of regular rotations or schematics." Still, so far, so good. Lopez came away from the Nets loss to Philadelphia with 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block in 33 minutes, his longest outing of the pre-season. Moreover, his per 36 minute stats are impressive. Over 36, Lopez is averaging 24.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks while shooting 58.1 percent overall and 82.8 percent from the foul line, which he's visiting at a 9.4 per game rate. (Another question mark, Andray Blatche, is averaging 22.6 points and 12.3 rebounds over 36.)

"Now it's about recovery."We stretched [his minutes] a little bit," said Avery Johnson, according to the Post. "And now it's about recovery and him gaining confidence that, ‘Hey, I'm OK.' There's nothing else to think about ... hopefully this will be a big boost."

Deron Williams is more effusive. "Brook has been great," said D-Will. "He's been in and out this offseason while I was here, so I've seen how hard he's working getting ready for this season, and he's had a great preseason."

• Nets' Brook Lopez looks great in the preseason so far - Zach Harper - CBS Sports
• Nets center off to hot start in Brook-lyn - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Lopez's health the biggest victory for Nets - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Nets vs. Sixers - Brook Lopez (Video) - Brooklyn Nets