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How Will The Brooklyn Nets Replace Mirza Teletovic?

By Anthony Parisi

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Some real unfortunate news came out on Friday in regards to Mirza Teletovic. Doctors discovered multiple blood clots in Teletovic’s lungs and the Bosnian power forward is out for the remainder of the season. Teletovic was an important player off of the Nets bench and now the Nets will need to decide if they will trust Cory Jefferson to take Teletovic’s minutes or if they’re going to make a trade to find Teletovic’s replacement.

“Next man up. That’s Cory Jefferson.” -Lionel Hollins on Mirza Teletovic’s absence

Jefferson is a rookie out of Baylor and when given a chance to play this season Jefferson has shown tons of potential. Teletovic played a lot of crucial minutes for the Nets off of the bench and coach Lionel Hollins has a reputation of not giving rookies too many minutes, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Nets try and make a trade for a power forward. When the Nets were shopping Brook Lopez a couple of weeks ago, Thaddeus Young was a name that the Nets had serous interest in. Young is currently a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the 26 year old power forward could be a target for the Nets once again with the news of Teletovic’s absence. Nets players and coaches are keeping Teletovic in their prayers and although he will be unable to play for the rest of the season, he will still be with his teammates in spirit.

The Nets can opt to make a trade or sign a power forward in free agency, but in this moment of time they will need players on their roster to step in and make a difference in Teletovic’s place. Hollins has already spoiled the surprise of who will take MT3’s place and at the moment, the Nets will rely on Jefferson to carry a bulk of minutes off of the bench. The Nets will certainly miss Teletovic, not just for his ability to knock down the three-pointer in bunches, but also for the spacing that Teletovic creates when he’s on the floor.

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Mason Plumlee might see an increase in minutes now and Jerome Jordan might also see some playing time on a regular basis. It’s hard to replace what Teletovic brings to this team, but the Nets have enough three-point shooters to keep up the productivity in that aspect of the game. Cory Jefferson will have a big opportunity now to prove that he is ready to play a big role on this team and if he plays well Hollins will continue to let him see the floor. If Jefferson struggles and isn’t ready to play in big minutes yet, Hollins will survey other options and if he can’t find anything a trade might happen.

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