Brooklyn Nets grades: Theo Pinson earns full roster spot late

Pinson with Brooklyn

Theo Pinson got much more run with the Brooklyn Nets than did fellow two-way player Alan Williams or first-round pick Dzanan Musa, logging more than 200 minutes overall and appearing in 18 games, 17 of those while on his two-way deal.

He struggled with consistency as a shooter, hitting 34.2 percent overall and just 26.1 percent on 2.6 3-point attempts per game, with a nearly flat assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.17:1 (21 assists against 18 turnovers in 11.7 minutes per game).

Pinson averaged 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his short stints and was an outstanding 86.4 percent (19-for-22) from the foul line.

Moving forward, Pinson needs to continue to refine his stroke — he took 63 percent of his attempts from 3-point range and converted just more than a quarter of those (12-for-46). That number has to improve.

He was a terrific finisher, however, in the restricted area in limited opportunities, converting 10-of-13 shots at the cup. From mid-range, however, he was just 3-for-14.

That’s not a shot the Nets emphasize much outside of D’Angelo Russell, but it’s imperative to make the looks you take at a consistent clip.

He spent most of his time on the wing with Brooklyn, either at the 2 or the 3, with a few passing minutes at the 1 and 4 spots (because coach Kenny Atkinson loved going small at the 4 at odd intervals).

The playoffs were better for Pinson in terms of shooting, going 3-for-8 overall and 3-for-7 from deep in 22 minutes of action, with a more respectable 3:1 assist to turnover ratio in the postseason.

It was about the level one would expect from an undrafted rookie — just a shade below replacement level — but Pinson did show flashes of being a guy who could carve out a successful career as a role-playing reserve.

Best Game: Jan. 25 vs. New York

Pinson turned in his best game of the season at a big moment, getting 26 minutes in a 10-point victory over the New York Knicks at Barclays Center on Jan. 25.

That was the first of 14 games sixth man Spencer Dinwiddie would miss while recovering from torn ligaments in his right thumb and Pinson came off the bench to give the Nets a significant boost.

He had a career-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from deep and going 6-for-6 at the line, while grabbing eight rebounds (also a career best) to go with two assists and two steals.

Brooklyn was very short-handed in the backcourt, with Dinwiddie joining Allen Crabbe (knee), Caris LeVert (foot) and Dzanan Musa (shoulder) on the sidelines.

Pinson led the Nets’ reserves in scoring and paced them to a 72-50 edge over New York’s bench in the 109-99 win, on a night when the Brooklyn starters were a combined 15-for-38 (39.5 percent) from the floor and made just 5-of-21 from deep (23.8 percent).

Grading the Nets

Alan Williams
Dzanan Musa

Pinson with Long Island

Theo Pinson was terrific in 35 games with the club’s G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.6 minutes per game on 44.5 percent overall shooting, hotting 38.4 percent on 7.9 3-point attempts per game.

Throw in an 85.1 percent mark at the foul line and he was a productive player, even if his performance included 3.3 turnovers per game.

Pinson did struggle with his shot in the playoffs, hitting 38.3 percent overall and going just 11-for-48 (22.9 percent) from deep in five games.

He still averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game as the Nets came up one game short in the G-League Finals against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

His performance earned him a second-team All-G-League selection and he finished second to Angel Delgado of the Agua Caliente Clippers in the Rookie of the Year voting, while making the All-Rookie squad.

Pinson posted a triple-double in a road win over the Wisconsin Herd on Dec. 28 and had an overtime buzzer-beater to deliver Long Island the Eastern Conference championship in its playoff matchup with the Lakeland Magic (you can find it at the 15:03 mark in the video below):

The turnovers were a concern — he averaged 3.3 per game during the regular season and 3.4 a night in the playoffs — but Pinson also showed he has the potential to become a rotational piece somewhere.