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Possible Reasons Behind Kenny Atkinson’s Latest Lineups For Brooklyn Nets

By Malcolm Ireland

Jan 13, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second quarter in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Raptors won 132-113. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second quarter in a game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Raptors won 132-113. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kenny Atkinson has been trying to find a rotation for the Brooklyn Nets all season long. But his most recent moves are the ones that have everyone talking.

With the Brooklyn Nets’ recent struggles, head coach Kenny Atkinson has tried to change up his lineups even more. He has tried going young by starting Caris LeVert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Isaiah Whitehead. In the process, he also removed Trevor Booker from the starting lineup. To top things off, he has stuck with Randy Foye as the starting two.

Considering the Nets’ record, this is Atkinson’s chance to experiment with rotations as well as get a good look at what his players can do. He has started Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at the power forward position. With teams around the league running smaller lineups in recent years, it is not much of a surprise Atkinson is trying it.

The problem with inserting Hollis-Jefferson into the starting lineup is he is not a great three-point shooter. Having him as the starting four does not help space the floor any better than having Trevor Booker starting.

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Since Hollis-Jefferson was inserted into the starting lineup as a power forward, he has averaged 7.3 rebounds and one block per game. Booker has averaged 9.6 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game since coming off the bench.

What is interesting is both Booker and Hollis-Jefferson have seen an increase in rebounds per game since the switch. Hollis-Jefferson was averaging 4.8 rebounds per game on the season, and Booker was averaging 8.6 rebounds per game. Hollis-Jefferson’s blocks are also up from 0.5 per game, while Booker’s has only dropped from 0.5 per game. They have both also had a small increase in points per game.

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By having this change in rotation, both players have played better statistically. Also, the team has not suffered a double-digit loss since the switch. Even though they have not won a game with this rotation yet, it has ever so slightly helped them.

Another factor to the rotation changes is the trade deadline. With the trade deadline just under two weeks away, the Nets can either stand pat or make a couple of moves. With Atkinson changing the lineup now, it almost resembles a midseason tryout. If certain players are not producing at a level Atkinson and Sean Marks are satisfied with, then the Nets can try to make some calls to teams around the league.

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Right now, it’s clear that no one has a guaranteed spot on this team for next season. Even Brook Lopez‘s name has popped up in multiple trade rumors. Whether or not Lopez will be traded has yet to be seen, but if the Nets are taking calls for Lopez, then they will obviously take calls for everyone else on the roster. It should be interesting to see what moves they make, if any.