Nothin' But Nets
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Four Positives For the Brooklyn Nets at the All-Star Break

By Max Prinz

Jan 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts with the team during the third quarter against Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Sixers win 105-95. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts with the team during the third quarter against Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center. Sixers win 105-95. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reacts in the third quarter against Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center. Grizzles win 112-103. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reacts in the third quarter against Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center. Grizzles win 112-103. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

Brook Lopez, The Late Blooming Unicorn

Many of the stories surrounding this NBA season have been dominated by a wave of big men affectionately referred to as unicorns. Players like Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns have wowed us with their ability to play inside and out.

Brook Lopez has been making his case to join that club all season.

Before this year, Lopez had made just three three-pointers in his eight-season career. This season, head coach Kenny Atkinson convinced the big man to let it fly, and Lopez has become one of the more dynamic inside-out threats in the entire league.

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He’s made 90 of 262 attempts from deep thus far for an impressive 34 percent clip. He’s averaging five attempts a game and shooting them more efficiently than Russell Westbrook.

Lopez is doing that while also anchoring the back line of the Nets’ defense. He’ll certainly never protect the rim better than Rudy Gobert or DeAndre Jordan, but his 1.8 blocks per game figure is respectable.

Plus, there was this ridiculous stuff on Wayne Ellington.

Further, there are only two players in the league this season averaging five threes and at least 1.5 blocks per game. One is Kevin Durant. The other is Brook Lopez.

As it does seemingly every year, Lopez’s name will come up in trade rumors up to Thursday’s 3 PM deadline. At 28 years old, Lopez doesn’t really fit into the Nets’ current rebuilding timeline. He probably deserves a more win-now ready environment.

RELATED STORY: Why the Nets Should Finally Pull Trigger on Lopez Trade

If he does get traded, he made sure to go out with a bang. In the Nets’ final game before the break, Lopez scored 36 points and became the first player in NBA history to record six threes and eight blocks in the same game.

It often hasn’t been enough to record a win, but watching Lopez hit threes, block shots, and occasionally dunk the basketball three times a week has provided so much joy this season.