For the Nets to turn it around after their slow start, they might need to experiment with Ben Simmons at center, RohanNadkarni writes
For example, the two-man lineup of Simmons and Claxton has a minus-18.7 net rating. Meanwhile, the two-man lineup of Simmons and backup big Day’Ron Sharpe has a minus-38.6 net rating. It’s not hard to see why these pairings fail. The Nets’ spacing is tighter than a pair of jeans on Thanksgiving when Simmons shares the floor with another non-shooter, creating obstacles even too difficult for halfcourt maestros Durant and Irving to overcome.
Still, it’s surprising to see Nash play Simmons with another non-shooter as often as he does. Simmons has played 117 minutes so far this season, 102 of which have come next to either Claxton or Sharpe. That means he’s played only 15 as the lone non-shooter/big/center, and he probably deserves a longer look in that scenario.
The Nets actually went small for a significant portion of Wednesday’s game. The results were mixed, but arguably promising. To end the first half, a lineup of Simmons, Durant, Irving, O’Neale and Yuta Watanabe outscored the Bucks by eight points in under five minutes. To close the game, with Joe Harris in place of Watanabe, Brooklyn was outscored by five points in just over five minutes. Those are obviously small samples. The Nets’ process in those minutes felt good, though.
There is a defensive concern with those groups. On most nights, however, when the Nets aren’t playing guys like