DETROIT — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has not only been ruled out of Monday’s preseason tilt at Detroit, but his status is up in the air for the regular-season opener Oct. 17 against those same Pistons.
Keep an eye on Brooklyn’s power forward position this preseason — rest assured the Nets will be.
Their injuries and the NBA’s evolving game could force a position switch for DeMarre Carroll and some tough decisions from coach Kenny Atkinson.
After suffering an adductor injury on Aug. 4 while playing in Jeremy Lin’s charity game in China, Hollis-Jefferson still hasn’t gone through a full practice. When Atkinson was asked if he was concerned that arguably his team’s biggest X-factor wouldn’t be ready for the start of the regular season, he was noncommittal.
“Concern is the wrong word. I just think we’re doing everything we can to get him ready. We’re lucky it’s a guy that knows our system. He’s been in the league a while now. I don’t expect him to miss a beat [when he returns],” Atkinson said. “I don’t want to give [a timetable]. I don’t want to say something and not [be accurate]. We’re still evaluating it kind of day-by-day thing.”
They don’t need to evaluate to see Hollis-Jefferson’s value. They were 24-35 last season when he started, but just 4-19 when he didn’t, out for an extended period with a groin injury. That’s dropping from a 33-win pace to 17.
With Kenneth Faried and Alan Williams both missing the preseason opener with ankle injuries, Atkinson used Carroll — their starting small forward — as a small-ball stretch four. He went scoreless, going 0-for-5 — including 0-for-4 from deep — and grabbing just two rebounds. But his 37.1 percent shooting from deep was second among Nets starters last year, so he’ll likely play more stretch four to help the offense.
The forward spots are going to be a conundrum for Atkinson. He needs to stretch the floor with shooting from Allen Crabbe (or Joe Harris), and if emergent Caris LeVert forces his way into the lineup, what then? Are Hollis-Jefferson and Carroll, the Nets’ emotional heart and their veteran leader, going to end up in a timeshare?
“We’ve got a lot of guys, we’ve got a lot of depth. It’s definitely different from last year. But at the end of the day a lot of guys are moving in different positions, it’s a lot of new stuff. I guess that’s what the preseason’s for: Try to get used to it, try to feel each other out. We have three more games to try to get to that level so we’re ready for opening night,” said Carroll, preparing to play more power forward. “I think that’ll be the likelihood, me playing the four, being able to stretch the floor. That’s where the modern NBA’s going. It’s a copycat league. All three-men are kind of moving to the four. That’s something I’ve really been working on.
“[I’m] still going to play some three. But at the end of the day to last long in this league, most guys are moving down to the four, so that’s why you’ve got to get used to it.”
It could leave him vying for minutes.
“DC would probably be the heartbeat. He’s one of our most veteran guys. … DC being the most familiar with Kenny and also being here the longest, I’d say would probably be the heartbeat,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “In terms of being an emotional leader, it’d probably be Rondae or Kenneth, those high-energy guys.”
Faried is set to make his preseason debut Monday. Williams and Shabazz Napier (hamstring) are both still out.
“Faried will play. We’ll see how many minutes, but he will play,” Atkinson said. “He was good in practice, good energy, all over the boards, running the court. So definitely I want to get a better feel for how he fits with what we’re doing.
“Now with Faried maybe we can mix in some big, big lineups and try that. Listen, I don’t think Kenneth is going to play 25 minutes. I think he’s got to build up.”
