Despite all the firepower and razzle-dazzle that the combination of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant can provide, Steve Nash knows that role-players need to start stepping up if the Brooklyn Nets want to make a deep postseason run. Reggie Perry had a prime opportunity to win brownie points with Nash, but the last few games have been a real struggle for him.
Perry, who was picked right near the end of the 2020 NBA Draft, started off the season well on the offensive end, but his interior defense has been frequently targeted whenever he is in the game. Knowing this, Nash demoted him to the G League, hoping that the coaching staff down there can coax him out of his bad habits.
In an attempt to get the struggling big some more minutes without directly impacting the championship chase, the Nets agreed to transfer Perry, who signed a two-way contract, to the Long Island Nets. Perry will get a ticket to Disney World, as he will participate in a shortened G League season
The Brooklyn Nets have transferred two-way forward Reggie Perry to the Long Island Nets.
— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) February 4, 2021
Reggie Perry will get more minutes in the G League.
Perry ended up in Brooklyn’s hands after a draft-day trade with the Clippers sent Perry to the Nets. The former Mississippi State product was a walking double-double in college, as he used his varied offensive game to feast on the SEC, but he quickly found out that playing in the pros is quite literally a different ballgame.
Forced to play a lot of center after usually lining up as an old-school power forward in college, Perry averaged 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game. While he does already have a double-double on his NBA resume, the Nets were much worse on both ends of the floor with Perry in the lineup.
The Nets, the league’s best offense, averaged just 90 points per 100 possessions with Perry on the floor, one of the worst marks in the league. His defense wasn’t much better, as Brooklyn allowed 10 points per 100 more when Perry played.
Perry going down means that backup Norvel Pelle, known for his defense and rim protection, will likely start to see his first Nets minutes. This could also signal that 2019 second-rounder Nic Claxton is nearing a return to the lineup, after missing the entire season to this point due to an injury.
Nets say they've sent rookie Reggie Perry to the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn's G-League team competing in the Orlando bubble. That opens up minutes for new Nets big man Norvel Pelle.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) February 4, 2021
Perry is still worth developing, but not at the expense of a championship. Nash needs someone with a bit more defensive experience to take up minutes in his rotation.
Time will tell if sending Perry down helps him improve different parts of his game or makes it more difficult for him to return to the rotation.