Nets' play-in hopes dealt major blow with D'Angelo Russell sidelined by ankle injury
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A struggling Brooklyn Nets offense will be without its starting point guard on Saturday vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. D’Angelo Russell will be sidelined for the matchup, potentially longer, after spraining his ankle during Thursday’s 110-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Nets rank dead-last in offense over the last month, averaging 98.9 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent from three. After the buyout of Ben Simmons, Russell is the one player they cannot afford to lose.
Brooklyn led Cleveland 60-55 midway through the third quarter against Cleveland but immediately surrendered a 28-11 run after Russell went down.
“It hurt. It hurt,” Trendon Watford said of losing Russell. “I knew it was gonna be tough without him in the fourth. It’s obviously rough when our starting point guard goes down. But knowing him, it’ll be alright.”
Russell has averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 assists on 38/32/88 shooting splits since joining the Nets in a Dec. 29 trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. While he’s struggled shooting the ball, his ball-handling, facilitation and improved defense have been integral to Brooklyn’s ability to compete. The team is 8-9 in games he’s played and 0-6 when he’s sat.
Nets offense could be in for rough stretch with D’Angelo Russell sidelined
D’Angelo Russell has posted a team-best +13.1 net rating swing (team points scored per 100 possessions minus points allowed per 100 possessions) with the Nets, per CleaningTheGlass, which filters out garbage time minutes.
Watford will step in as Brooklyn’s lead ball-handler during his absence. The 6-foot-8 point-forward has impressed since replacing Ben Simmons as the team’s backup point guard. He’s averaged 10.7 points and 2.4 assists on 49.2 percent shooting and posted a team-best 9.3 Box Plus-Minus over his last seven appearances.
“We don’t know how long he gonna be out, and I’ve been playing point guard anyway, so it’s not gonna be too much different,” Watford said. “I’ll probably be getting more minutes, or whatever it is, but I’m looking at him [Russell] scooting around. He’ll probably be alright.”
Killian Hayes will also see expanded minutes at point guard. The former No. 7 pick made his Nets debut on Thursday after signing a 10-day contract. He posted five points and three assists on 2-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.
Hayes spent the first half of the season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, averaging 16.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists on 47/35/69 shooting splits over 29 appearances.
Russell’s injury could indirectly benefit the Nets during the stretch run to close the season. A 6-2 stretch has pulled Brooklyn to 1.5 games back of the Chicago Bulls for the Eastern Conference’s final play-in spot. However, it’s significantly damaged the team’s draft lottery position.
The Nets are tied with the 76ers for the sixth-best lottery odds and 1.5 games ahead of the Bulls entering Saturday’s matchup. Philadelphia could commit to a tank in the coming weeks as it owes its pick top-six protected to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chicago has already done so by trading Zach LaVine at the deadline. Both teams are significant threats to leap Brooklyn in the lottery standings.
While an extended Russell absence would be a crushing blow to the Nets’ play-in hopes, it could prevent their draft position from falling further over the season’s final 27 games.
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