The Nets will need a different look Thursday night against the 76ers, and the biggest decision for Jordi Fernández comes with Michael Porter Jr. and Day’Ron Sharpe both out.
Porter, dealing with left wrist soreness, and Sharpe, with left shoulder soreness, have been ruled out. They’re joined on the sidelines by rookies Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson, who will miss their second straight game as Brown continues ankle recovery and Jefferson remains out with lower back issues.
That leaves Brooklyn leaning on its backups to step into the starting group after Tuesday’s blowout win, and the more straightforward call is at center. Wagner is the obvious fit to replace Sharpe.
The tougher question is who gets Porter’s spot. Fernández is choosing between Josh Minott and Noah Clowney, two players trying to lock down bigger roles in the rotation after both showed well against the Charlotte Hornets.
Clowney got the first look over Minott and made it count, finishing with seven points on 2-for-3 shooting, plus one rebound, one assist and two steals. At 22, he brings the kind of résumé that can make a coach lean his way. He started a career-high 60 games last season and took a noticeable step forward in his third year, averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 66 games.
Brooklyn’s 2023 first-round pick has improved every season, but the competition around him has changed. The addition of Julius Randle has altered the frontcourt picture, with the 31-year-old now holding the starting power forward job that belonged to the fourth-year forward last season. Clowney is still fighting to show he belongs in that mix, and next offseason could matter plenty as a restricted free agent.
Minott offers a different look. He’s the more classic 3-and-D option on paper, and he flashed efficiency against Charlotte with six points and two steals in nine minutes. Brooklyn picked him up from the Boston Celtics at February’s trade deadline, and even though an ankle sprain bothered him during his 16-game stretch with the team, he finished strong enough to turn heads.
The 23-year-old had a few eye-catching scoring nights, including a career-high 24 points against the Atlanta Hawks on March 12 and 22 against the New York Knicks on March 20. Over that span, he averaged 10.8 points and 1.3 steals while shooting 41.8% from three, production that clearly caught the attention of general manager Sean Marks, who said he was excited to see how a summer of rest and recovery would help the two-way wing.
For Brooklyn, the appeal is obvious. The Nets need more two-way wings if they’re going to improve on their league-worst 34% 3-point shooting and keep building on the No. 1 defensive rating they posted last December. Thursday’s lineup decision will say plenty about which direction Fernández wants to lean.
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Jordi Fernndez has reason to like what he saw beyond the box score, especially with Brooklyn getting early preseason minutes to sort through combinations and roles. Wagners contribution fit the tone of a group that played with energy throughout the game, and for a team looking for more size and versatility off the bench, his first impression offered something the Nets had been missing. [Read more 🡒]