Brooklyn Nets: Rodions Kurucs, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could be key

Rodions Kurucs and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could help neutralize the Philadelphia 76ers’ size advantage that hurt the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2.

In the space of four minutes on Monday night, everything fell apart for the Brooklyn Nets. After a back-and-forth first half where the Nets trailed for much of the period, they stormed back at the end of the second quarter to go into the break only down one.

But they collapsed spectacularly on the defensive end in the third quarter, allowing the Sixers to go on a 21-2 run en route to a 51-point third quarter.

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With backup center Ed Davis hampered by an ankle injury and veteran forward Jared Dudley sidelined with calf tightness, Jarrett Allen was asked to match up with Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic for much of the game.

For all of Allen’s shot-blocking prowess and rim-protecting ability, he lacks the bulk to really bang with the size of Embiid and Boban. The lack of necessary size is a team-wide issue for Brooklyn in this series against a huge Philadelphia team.

T.J. McConnell didn’t feature much in the opening periods of Game 2 as James Ennis returned from injury, and without him, the Sixers don’t really play anyone other than J.J. Redick who is under 6-foot-7.

It’s a tough matchup for the Nets who like to spread the ball and play small, and while Brooklyn was able to contain Philadelphia in Game 1, the Sixers showed their potential to explode in Game 2.

Getting Dudley back will certainly help on the defensive end, as the forward uses his experience and strength to contain Philly’s bigs, but there are a couple more changes coach Kenny Atkinson and his side can make to help diminish some of the threats the Sixers pose.

The Nets lack versatility on the defensive end. While teams like the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks have numerous players who can guard multiple positions, the list is pretty short for the Nets.

DeMarre Carroll is a capable defender with size, but there aren’t too many others in the rotation who can switch onto Philly’s wings, like Jimmy Butler or Tobias Harris, and do a good job.

Treveon Graham is a solid defender, and played much of the season as a deputy power forward when the Nets had some injury issues, but he is only 6-foot-5 and the Nets lose too much rebounding and size with him on the floor.

Instead, more minutes should go to second-round pick Rodions Kurucs and the longest-tenured Net, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Despite starting at the power forward position, Kurucs only averages 17 minutes a game.

At 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds, the Latvian is much bigger than Graham and has the long arms and defensive speed to keep up with the Sixers, and his 10.0 rebound percentage on the season is significantly higher than Graham’s 7.9.

Kurucs can also handle bigger players, as evidenced by his play against Blake Griffin in the Nets’ 103-75 win over Detroit earlier last month, where he kept the former Clipper to just 10 points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, and Atkinson should trust him more to guard some of the Sixers’ wings.

He hasn’t quite found his shooting stroke over the past two games, but Kurucs is also a better 3-point shooter than Graham at 31.5 percent. Plus, he has a point to prove.

Simmons, before Game 2, referred to Kurucs as “that other kid,” and theLatvian took exception to his quote, telling the New York Post:

"“Also, I don’t like that he said in the media that JD is guarding him and ‘that kid.’ Now I want to let him know that he knows my name. I’ll play hard. I’ll go at him, and I’m not scared of him.”"

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has seen his role on this Nets roster diminish greatly over the course of this season, as he went from promising young starter to one of the last ones on the bench.

But the fourth-year player never publicly complained about his playing time and got on with his work, knowing his chance would eventually come. It did, in that crazy March 19 comeback against the Sacramento Kings where the Nets overcame a 25-point fourth quarter deficit.

Hollis-Jefferson was crucial to that run, as he went 6-for-7, including the game-winning layup, and provided invaluable energy off the bench.

He hasn’t featured much since, but like Kurucs, Hollis-Jefferson is strong, big, and quick enough to hang with Harris, Butler, Mike Scott and the other Sixers.

Most of his minutes to date have come at the 5 spot, but Hollis-Jefferson’s versatility means he could play time at power forward, especially if Jared Dudley is in the game, as well as pose a potential outside threat.

Hollis-Jefferson still hasn’t developed much of a 3-point shot, which limits his potential production for a Nets team that thrives on ball movement and outside shooting, but he is a decent cutter and solid finisher around the rim.

The 145 points Sixers scored in Game 2 was the most points the Nets have allowed in a playoff game. They will need to make changes on Thursday night if they want to avoid a repeat of that dismal record.

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The key issue for the Nets is to neutralize the size advantage the Sixers have and Kurucs and Hollis-Jefferson could be two in-house solutions for dealing with it.

Brooklyn Nets: Rodions Kurucs, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could be key in Game 3

By Arjun Balaraman | Apr 18, 2019

Rodions Kurucs and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could help neutralize the Philadelphia 76ers’ size advantage that hurt the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2.

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