Mirza Teletovic has worked hard and when given a chance, produced for the Nets. So Jason Kidd felt Teletovic deserved to be rewarded and gave him his first NBA start in his 70th game.
On a night when Joe Johnson stole the headlines, the notices and the game with a stunning display of 3-point shooting, Teletovic had a quietly effective start, scoring 11 points, six in the first quarter, in the Nets’ laugh riot 130-94 pummeling of the 76ers at Barclays Center.
“The most important thing, we got a win. We won the game and we won by a lot, a big difference,” said Teletovic, who was coming off his 17-point effort in Friday’s loss in Detroit.
It was that type of effort that got Teletovic to start the game on the floor, not the bench, something he had never done. At least not as a Net.
“I’m not a secret in Europe,” Teletovic said regarding his Bosnian followers.
Keep this up and he’ll be well known on this side of the pond as well.
“Mirza’s played well for us all season,” Kidd said. “He’s been a true professional when we’ve called on him. He’s playing well, and our thing is when you play well we’ve got to reward you.”
And follow that through: when you get rewarded, fulfill the confidence shown.
“It’s just good to get appreciated and Jason’s really good with that,” Teletovic said of Kidd. “He appreciates if you work hard and play hard. He is going to give you opportunity.”
So when Brook Lopez was scratched, Kidd started Kevin Garnett at center and used Teletovic at the four. Kidd explained the plan Monday morning.
“You try to be a factor where needed, forward, power forward, center wherever we need it, I play it,” Teletovic said.
And recently he has played it well. Presented into evidence: Monday’s 4-of-8 shooting with five rebounds in 26 minutes.
“He’s done great. He’s played when we called his number and he’s responded,” Kidd said. “He rebounded the ball and he gave us that offensive weapon of being able to stretch the defense.”
Teletovic, who delivered two of the Nets’ team record 21 3-pointers, said that against Philly, he simply played to what the defense gave. And the Philly defense gave a lot — for the second straight time the Sixers surrendered an unpardonable 21 3-pointers. But they gave up lots more, too.
“We just tried to take advantage on offense where we had it. Sometimes, when people are driving they try to help out and you get wide-open shots,” Teletovic said. “The next time they don’t want to help and they get easy layup. The next time … somebody makes a 3-pointer and the next time they don’t help. Just make plays out of the situation where you get the advantage from.”