Kenny Atkinson told Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot to stay ready.

That’s easier said than done for a player who had seen just six minutes and two seconds of action — all of it garbage time — through the Nets’ first 24 games of the season, instead spending most of his time in the G League. But Luwawu-Cabarrot tried to heed the advice of his coach, and it finally paid off this weekend.

With the Nets playing a tough back-to-back in Toronto on Saturday night and back home on Sunday against the 76ers, Atkinson called on Luwawu-Cabarrot, and the wing responded by giving the Nets a spark with 15 points (on 50 percent shooting) and six rebounds in 40:22.

“I’ve been working on my craft and on my game for these kind of opportunities and these kind of moments,” Luwawu-Cabarrot said Sunday after recording eight points (all in the first half) and five rebounds in a 109-89 win over the 76ers at Barclays Center. “Now I’m 24, so I pretty much know what it means to go into the game coming off the bench. Don’t play for a long time, [then] come in, just stay professional and know what you do.

“It’s tough sometimes. You just have to work every day and stay locked in.”

Luwawu-Cabarrot was the second player off the Nets bench on Sunday night, subbing in with a group midway through the first quarter to form a new second unit that controlled the lead. He was back on the floor to begin the second quarter — alongside Theo Pinson, DeAndre Jordan, Garrett Temple and Taurean Prince — and by the time the rest of the starters came back in, the Nets’ lead had grown from five to 11.

The fourth-year pro, who was the No. 24-overall pick by the 76ers out of France in 2016, showed off a strong ability to get to the rim, either on his own or by cutting through the paint to get passes from his teammates.

“I like his athleticism and his length,” Atkinson said. “He just gives us another long wing. He’s fit in nicely with the group. Understands the offense, what we want. He’s not passive either.” He’ll take it to the rim. He shoots open catch-and-shoots. He’s been a pleasant surprise these last two games.”

After spending training camp with the Cavaliers, Luwawu-Cabarrot got cut on Oct. 15 but signed a two-way contract with the Nets a week later, on the day of their season opener. The two-way contract allows him to spend up to 45 days with the Nets and the rest of it with G-League Long Island.

Luwawu-Cabarrot had impressed with the Long Island Nets, averaging 19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 10 games before coming back up for the weekend. The Nets had just waived Iman Shumpert, needing a roster spot for Wilson Chandler to return from his suspension on Sunday, so there were minutes to be had. Atkinson decided to give them to Luwawu-Cabarrot over Dzanan Musa, who had been one of the first wings off the bench but instead was relegated to garbage time during the back-to-back.

“Timmy was playing good in the G-League, wanted to take a look at him,” Atkinson said. “It’s no slight on Musa — I think Musa’s really helped us during the good stretch.”

Luwawu-Cabarrot made 19 starts for the tanking 76ers at the end of his rookie season in 2016-17. He had started that year shuttling between the 76ers and their G-League affiliate, a role he is back in now with stops in Oklahoma City and Chicago in between.

“Tim coming in, playing his second [straight] game, has been great for us,” Temple said. “He’s been in the league three or four years, understands the game, has a nice, calm play to his game, which is great.”