PORTLAND, Ore. — Kenny Atkinson juggled his lineup against the Lakers, giving DeMarre Carroll his first start of the season instead of Caris LeVert.
It might not be a one-off.

Yes, the Nets needed Carroll’s size on LeBron James on Friday, but his shooting may make him a better partner for D’Angelo Russell. Atkinson said he could use this look some more on a case-by-case basis.

“We needed a little more size on [James] and DeMarre had played him a ton,” Atkinson said. “We’ll see going forward. I haven’t made the decision if we stick with that or bring Caris back in. Listen, it could be a game-to-game basis. We’ll see how it goes.

“I liked it. [The shooting] was a little bit part of the thinking, too. And Caris plays well with that second unit. So we’ll see. I liked what I saw. It could happen.”

Carroll had eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter — along with going 2-of-3 from deep — when the Nets rallied from behind.

“Spatially, it gives us more of a catch-and-shoot guy,” Atkinson said. “Is it better for D’Lo to have that? Is it better for that first group to have DeMarre, who is more of a standstill shooter? Early returns are it looked good.”

LeVert is coming off a scoreless night 0-for-6 night. He’s shot 34.8 percent since returning from a dislocated foot, and just 24.2 percent from 3.

Meanwhile, Carroll has averaged 12.5 points on 41 percent shooting overall, 37.3 percent from deep, and added 5.6 rebounds since Jan. 1 with an offensive rating of 108.0. His shooting opens the floor for Russell.

“Yeah, for sure,” Carroll said. “It can help him open the floor up a little bit more. And it can let a guy like D’Lo be ball-dominant, have the ball in his hands.”

Both Carroll and LeVert are comfortable with starting or coming off the bench on a game-to-game basis.

“At this point in my career it doesn’t matter,” Carroll said. “As long as I’m playing and getting my minutes, I don’t care if I start, don’t start.”
At first Atkinson was reluctant to start Carroll.

“One of the reasons I was hesitant to do it was DeMarre was in a good place coming off the bench. You think of the team first obviously, then you think of the individual, so you’re constantly balancing that,” Atkinson said.

“But I talked to DeMarre. He’s done both, so it’s not that big of a deal. Caris, I talked to him, he’s done both. So they’re both in a good place. It gives me more leeway to do it on a game-to-game basis.”

The Trail Blazers said Saturday that CJ McCollum will miss the game against the Nets. He suffered a strain in his left knee on March 16 and just returned to practice Friday, engaging in ball-handling and passing work, but did not participate in full drills.