After the Nets came away with a stirring 95-93 win Thursday in Oklahoma City, Paul Pierce said he’s ready to switch positions full-time after playing power forward as part of the Nets’ smallball starting lineup.
“Maybe what you saw was going to be the future lineup,” Pierce said after scoring 18 points against the Thunder. “Maybe it’s going to be me playing the four [and] we spread the court.
“I told [the team], that was the second time we used that lineup and we’re 2-0 with that lineup. Maybe it’s a position change in the making for me — something that’s going to work for us, but who knows.”
Nets coach Jason Kidd said before the game he was going to go back to the small lineup because “There’s nothing wrong with trying something new.” But after seeing how well it performed against the Thunder — after the Nets had lots of success the only other time they used it, in a Dec. 27 victory over the Bucks — then perhaps Kidd should listen to Pierce’s suggestion.
In 27 minutes across those two games, the starting five Thursday night — Deron Williams, Shaun Livingston, Joe Johnson, Pierce and Kevin Garnett — is averaging 112.2 points per 100 possessions on offense while allowing a paltry 62.9 points per 100 possessions on defense, both stellar numbers.
In addition, starting Livingston freed up Williams to come off of screens and get open for shots, which he did Thursday by going off for 29 points — on the heels of him scoring in single-digits in three of the previous five games.
“I’ve been wanting to do that a little bit more,” Williams said of playing off the ball. “I get into a rhythm by coming off screens, playing like that. It’s good to have Shaun out there and being able to roam out there and being more aggressive.”
The person who has the most to adjust to in a smallball lineup is Pierce, who would have to regularly guard much bigger players, as he did Thursday when he did a good job against Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka in the low post.
“I said from the beginning, [I’ll do] whatever role I got to play on this team,” he said. “I’ll come off the bench, I’ve started at the three, I’m playing the four. … I just want to win.
“If that means that’s what I got to do for the rest of the season, that’s going to be make our team successful, that’s what I’m going to do.”