Josh Minott’s place in Brooklyn’s rotation has become one of the early-season mysteries around the Nets.
The fifth-year forward was one of the few bright spots in the back half of the Nets’ otherwise forgettable 2025-26 season, and Brooklyn liked him enough to bring him back on a two-year, $9 million deal this summer. That made his current role - or lack of one - even more surprising as the season has opened.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez said before Monday’s 103-90 loss to the New York Knicks that Minott hasn’t done anything to lose his spot.
“[Josh has] done nothing wrong. He works really hard.
He’s a great teammate,” Fernandez said. “You could see him [supporting his teammates] yesterday on the bench [in Indiana], which I think is very, very important, especially when you play on the road.
The energy that you can have and being selfless and supporting the rest of the group and then being ready when your number’s called. I think his number has been called two or three times.
He’s tried to help the group. Right now, he’s got others ahead of him.”
That explanation doesn’t exactly settle the issue, especially with the Nets off to a rough 1-6 start.
Brooklyn has struggled across the board, ranking 28th in offense at 104.2, 18th in defense at 112.9 and 24th in net rating at -8.6. Even with those problems piling up, Minott still hasn’t found a way into the regular mix.
Instead, he’s been stuck behind two-way forward Chaney Johnson and fifth-year forward Noah Clowney. Johnson has brought defensive energy, but his offense has lagged behind, with averages of 5.9 points on .359/.316/.875 shooting, plus 1.0 assists and 1.4 turnovers per game. Clowney has had his own issues on both ends, and his -14.8 net rating swing is second-worst on the team, ahead of only Moe Wagner at -20.2.
Minott’s lone extended run came in Brooklyn’s 136-109 loss to the Pacers on Oct. 25. In 21 minutes, he put up 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 4-of-12 from the field and 3-of-10 from deep.
The numbers from last season suggest there’s still something useful here. Minott averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game across 49 appearances with the Nets and Boston Celtics, while shooting 62.6 percent on twos and 41.8 percent on threes. He was also the NBA’s only player to post steal and block percentages above 2.5 while shooting better than 40.0 percent from three, and his 4.7 deflections per 36 minutes ranked 17th among 322 players who logged more than 800 minutes.
Minott has also made it clear he wasn’t approaching this season with a changed mindset after signing his new deal. During training camp, he said the hunger remained the same.
“I don’t really think I had a mental shift [after signing the new contract]. It’s kind of the same hunger I’ve had,” he said.
“At the end of the day, there’s so much to prove. From top to bottom, everybody in here knows how we’re perceived, and we’re trying to exceed expectations by a ton… One thing I’ve learned in my four years, going on five, is that you’re never settled in.
I would never get complacent. You can never be complacent.
I feel like that’s advice to everybody in any profession. You guys, there’s a young reporter trying to take your job.
I’d say just never get too complacent; always stay competitive. It’s a competitive job.”
With a tougher seven-game opening stretch behind them, Brooklyn is about to enter a softer part of the schedule. If the losses keep coming, the pressure to give Minott a real rotation spot figures to get louder.
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