The questions surrounding Brook Lopez are even bigger than he is. Watching the All-Star center sit out the Nets’ playoff loss to the defending-champion Heat, it begs the question whether he can finally stay healthy next season. And if he can, does he even fit into Brooklyn’s small-ball system?
Jason Kidd’s non-answer may have answered much.
“That’s a question until he gets healthy. We don’t know,’’ Kidd said Thursday, his Nets having been eliminated with Wednesday’s Game 5 loss in Miami as Lopez watched from the sidelines with his left ankle in an air cast.
The Heat’s clear vulnerability inside led many to wonder whether the Nets could have pulled off the upset had the 7-foot, 260-pound Lopez been healthy. But all too often, the words Lopez and healthy haven’t been used in the same sentence.
Lopez suffered a season-ending foot injury Dec. 19 against Philadelphia, but — contrary to dire expectations — it didn’t end the Nets’ season. Kidd shifted to a small-ball style, with Paul Pierce playing extended time at power forward for the first time in his career and rookie Mason Plumlee — faster but less skilled than Lopez — getting significant minutes and seeming a perfect fit.
The Nets — 7-10 with Lopez in the lineup — went 37-28 without him to give rise to the notion they might consider moving him in the offseason. But general manager Billy King insisted those numbers lie.
“You lose a Brook Lopez and everybody says, ‘Without him you guys can play much better.’ But in certain games, you can use a guy that you can throw it down to, that you can get easy buckets,’’ King said. “Teams that hurt Miami have that five-man, and our guys that played did their best. But you can’t overreact and say they play much better without having their All-Star center.”
That All-Star center was averaging 20.7 points per game on 56.3 percent shooting when he got hurt. And he is confident he can get back to that level next season.
“No question,’’ said Lopez, who is aware of his doubters but ignores them. “That’s all right. I’ve been questioned a lot. I’m not worried about that.”
Since his ankle surgery, Lopez has been lifting, doing pool workouts and shooting. He will get out of the cast in another two weeks and plans to stay in New York this summer as he rehabs. And while Brooklyn might consider trading Lopez, the center insists he can fit into Kidd’s system.
“Yeah, absolutely. We have lots of different guys who are talented and can do different things, you know? So it’s a matter of putting our team in the best position to succeed,’’ said Lopez, who acknowledged Brooklyn’s faster pace would require adjustments on his part.
“I think so. I really haven’t gotten to try that much, obviously. But you know, I’m sure there would be some adjustments to be made. … That’s something I have to learn, too. It was pretty up-and-down,
I think I’d have to get back to running the floor. But I think, like I said, there would be adjustments to be made. I don’t think I can sit here and say what I’d be doing.”