NEW YORK — Steve Nash has grown accustomed to uncertainty. COVID-19, injuries and untimely absences have rocked his Nets roster virtually since he took the job two summers ago. And as the Nets enter the New Year for the next third of their NBA season, Nash’s conference-leading team must now prepare for its next act: Playing with one lineup at home and another on the road.
Kyrie Irving is ineligible to play home games due to New York City’s vaccine mandate, but Nets brass green-lit him to play on the road. That means the Nets will have one set of starters in front of hometown fans, and a supercharged starting lineup featuring Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden for away games.
It’s a scenario unlike any team has ever seen, possibly in NBA history: In a league where continuity is king, the Nets will have to be comfortable trotting out two different starting lineups depending on where they play next.
Nash doesn’t consider this to be a hurdle. In fact, he and his players are overjoyed to finally welcome Irving, who averaged 27 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds per game last season, back to the roster. The head coach doesn’t foresee any difficulties in re-incorporating the superstar scoring guard back to the rotation. He has called it a “fun challenge” for his team and isn’t going to overcomplicate basketball for Irving, who will likely make his season debut for the Nets on the road either on Jan. 5 in Indiana against the Pacers or on Jan. 12 in Chicago against the Bulls.
“I may be a little naïve, but I think (we) just keep it really simple,” Nash said ahead of his team’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. “Kyrie plays on the road, and we figure out how he rejoins the group, finds his rhythm and his place in the team, and when we come home, we’re back to normal the way we’ve been all year. Just try to keep it really simple. Don’t overanalyze it or complicate it.”
Irving rejoined the team on Wednesday after clearing the health and safety protocols with Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge. His return, at least for road games, almost assuredly moves Patty Mills back to the bench to captain the second unit. Irving isn’t the only player set to matriculate back into the rotation.
Sharpshooter Joe Harris (ankle surgery) has been out since spraining his left ankle against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 14 but has progressed to shooting and conditioning workouts and is expected to rejoin the team in the coming weeks. Mills has started alongside Harden in place of Harris, but Nash could also opt to leave DeAndre’ Bembry in the starting lineup.
Bembry is shooting a career-best 48% from 3, albeit on an average of just one attempt per game, and gives the Nets spunk defensively and in-between the lines in hustle plays and 50-50 balls. Aldridge returned to the lineup Thursday and started next to Nic Claxton, who has recenty started for a short-handed Nets team. Aldridge and Claxton give the Nets two separate profiles — the All-Star big man is a scoring machine from the mid-range and low block and is a presence protecting the rim, while Claxton’s ability to switch unlocks Brooklyn’s defensive versatility, and his athleticism plays right into Harden’s lob-passing abilities.
Mills will have the biggest adjustment: a likely starter at home and probable sixth man on the road whose minutes will fluctuate based on whether or not Irving is eligible to play.
“It’s just taking it day by day and understanding what’s good for the betterment of the team,” he said. “But that’s part of what we’ve been through. We’ve pretty much been doing that over the course of the year, just taking it day by day. So I guess my role has always been to be able to provide that energy and that impact on the floor. And I guess those are the things that won’t change for me.”
The Nets will take this scenario over the alternative: Not having one of their three-best players available at all. Bruce Brown gave Irving a hug when he first saw him at the HSS Training Facility on Wednesday. Brown said he and Irving texted back and forth about his floaters and his jump shots while he was away from the team.
“We just added a great player,” Brown said. “So I think it’ll be easy for us (to adjust back and forth between playing at home and on the road). This group already knows how to play without Kai, so now we’ve just got to learn how to play with him.”
