WASHINGTON — For coach Jason Kidd, the preseason is still the preseason.
So, despite the fact Kidd will be wearing a suit instead of a jersey for Tuesday’s preseason opener against the Wizards, he doesn’t have any butterflies about it.
“No nerves,” Kidd said after Monday’s practice at the team’s New Jersey practice facility. “We’ve been working. It’s just another day of camp. Some people look at camp being over once we left Duke, but for us, camp is every day until the first regular-season game.
“We’ll get some work done in the morning, and then get ready for the game.”
Tuesday’s game in the nation’s capital will get more attention than your usual preseason contest because of the intrigue surrounding the hire of Kidd as the team’s head coach this summer, as well as it being the first chance to get a look at the many new pieces the Nets added to their roster.
The intrigue also carries down to the players, who are ready to face someone else after spending the past week practicing against one another.
“I think we’re excited,” Brook Lopez said. “I know everyone is anxious to get on the court against Washington.”
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Jason Terry won’t be in the lineup against the Wizards, but he did make a step closer to returning to the floor Monday.
The veteran guard, who is still recovering from offseason left knee surgery, took part in his first contact portion of practice.
“I’m officially a Brooklyn Net today,” Terry said with a smile after he said he was in a 5-on-4 scramble drill for seven straight minutes. “I felt great.
“But the key is to keep me feeling that way. Probably not playing [Tuesday], but Wednesday we’ll get back after it full contact and go a full practice. That’s the goal.”
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Deron Williams (sprained right ankle), will also sit out Tuesday. So will Tornike Shengelia, who is also recovering from offseason left knee surgery, and Gary Forbes, who has been battling an illness for the past few days.
Kidd declined to say who would replace Williams in the starting lineup, but Shaun Livingston is expected to get the call over Tyshawn Taylor.
He also declined to say how many minutes he will play his starters, other than to say the number will be “low.”
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The Nets announced Monday they will hold an open practice Oct. 20 at Barclays Center from 2-4 p.m. For ticket information, fans can go to brooklynnets.com.