The Brooklyn Nets know they’ll be getting Brook Lopez back this season after missing all but 17 games last year.
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What they don’t know is what type of player Brook Lopez will be. For what it’s worth, the center says he’s feeling as good as ever and expects to have his best season as a professional. However, this is also the same player who has gained a reputation for being injury prone and has essentially missed nearly two full seasons during the past three years. Needless to say, there are question marks surrounding the big man and his effectiveness moving forward.
Brookly Nets head coach Lionel Hollins doesn’t seem overly worried though as he and the Nets have big plans for the former Stanford product.
“I’m gonna utilize Brook in a way that fits Brook. Like I said, he’s a very talented kid, skilled kid, and he’ll be a very talented piece of what we’re trying to do offensively, but I want him to be a big part of what we’re trying to do defensively as well.”
While it’s a nice idea, you have to wonder how much Lopez can actually handle. You’d assume that the Brooklyn Nets will take the cautious approach with Lopez in the early portion of the season and if he looks healthy, they may increase his role/playing time. Still, there is likely a fine line between playing Lopez too much, especially as the wear and tear of the season continues on.
For now though, it sounds as if the Nets have grand intentions with Lopez, who has proven himself to be one of the better big men in the NBA when healthy.