Steve Nash has two totally different rosters: A highway staff and a house staff, one with Kyrie Irving and one with out.
The Nets’ coach plans to maintain the roster juggling to a minimal. He simply slid Patty Mills again into the beginning lineup for Friday’s 121-109 loss to the Bucks and can give Irving the nod on the highway, somewhat than tearing up the rotations the Nets have spent nearly half the season honing and beginning over from scratch.
“Yeah, I don’t assume that’s the method. I feel it’s to be easy,” Nash stated. “Two issues. One, conserving it easy is greatest for everybody. Two, one thing is at all times occurring with our squad and availability, so we’re mixing-and-matching usually. So conserving it easy on this case might be one of the simplest ways, and the best way that makes probably the most sense.
“And for those who strip all of it down, you’re in all probability overthinking it as effectively.”
Mills prolonged a funk Friday with a three-point night time, going 1-for-8 from the sphere and making him 11-for-40 in his final 5 video games.
A part of that's fatigue, being requested to play a career-high 30.8 minutes. That’s six greater than he averaged final season, and 5.3 greater than his career-high from 2017-18.
“For me the Kyrie scenario hopefully helps Patty,” Nash stated. “We’ve seen him nearly be overused and over-depended on, and it’s been tough for him at occasions to proceed his degree of play as a result of we overburdened him. So can Kyrie maintain [Mills’] minutes in a candy spot the place he can maintain a persistently excessive degree?
“He’s been terrific on and off the ground, he’s unbelievable to have in our group. However we’ve requested him to play a variety of 30s and excessive 30s throughout this final month or so. With out Joe [Harris], with out Kyrie, that’s an enormous burden on him. So, can this assist him keep brisker and keep at a excessive degree can be the added bonus of getting Kyrie again for Patty.”
Harris remains to be recovering from an ankle harm and Irving simply made his season debut Wednesday at Indiana — and is ineligible to play at dwelling — so Mills made his twenty second begin of the season Friday.
Mills had solely made 57 begins in his profession earlier than this season, 36 of these in 2017-18. He's extra accustomed to coming off the bench, however the Nets merely can’t afford to maintain him in a sixth man position at dwelling.
“I don’t assume we will try this with out Joe. With Joe Harris out, we simply want his capturing means, expertise,” Nash stated. “However ultimately with Joe coming again, he might discover a extra comfy quantity of minutes. That doesn’t imply he doesn’t play 30-plus some nights; however not on a regular basis the place we’re actually taxing him.”
The Nets began Mills, James Harden, Kevin Durant, David Duke Jr. and Nic Claxton in opposition to the Bucks. It was their seventeenth beginning lineup of the season, and sixth straight recreation with a unique group.
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