NBA

Nets Rewind: Jason Kidd extending rotation

Here are my three thoughts on the Nets’ 112-108 overtime loss to the Wizards Friday night in the nation’s capital:

1. The Nets are clearly committed to holding down everyone’s minutes this season, a goal that is both understandable and necessary when you consider the age of some of the team’s key pieces, most notably Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. However, the coaching staff has now played at least 11 players as part of the team’s core rotation in each of the four games they have had their full compliment of players available to them.

Most of the time, NBA teams like to have a limit of nine, maybe 10 players inside their rotation, in order to allow for some consistency in when guys are coming in and out of games and to establish a rapport with the players you’re usually on the floor with. The lack of both of those things so far could be contributing to the up-and-down nature of the Nets’ season so far, something Deron Williams hinted at when I followed up on a comment he made about the Nets consistently having trouble closing out quarters and halves.

“I think we go on these runs to start the quarters or in the middle of the quarter and then towards the end of the quarter, I don’t know if it’s when we sub or what, it’s a little drop off.

“So we’ve got to make sure no matter who’s in the game, no matter what sub patterns are that we are ready to play.”

2. Coming into the game, Nets coach Jason Kidd mentioned the importance of keeping the Wizards off the 3-point line, where they entered the game with the most makes and attempts per game from behind the arc in the league this season.

That seemed to go out the window, however, as the Nets allowed Washington to go 10-for-24 from behind the arc. They opened the game 6-for-8 from behind the arc, which allowed the Wizards to stay in the game early after the Nets opened the game with an 18-6 run that looked like it had a chance to end the game just after it got started

The Nets, meanwhile, struggled from behind the arc once again, going 6-for-24 and having only three players – Williams, Joe Johnson and Jason Terry – making any.

3. The Nets might need to shorten their rotation to find consistency moving forward, but Alan Anderson is continuing to make a case to be a part of the rotation no matter what size it is. Anderson did go 0-for-3 on 3-pointers against the Wizards, but made all three of his shots from inside the arc and was a big part of the huge second half run the bench unit made after the starters got off to a dreadful start in the third quarter.

It seems like the swing man that will determine the 10th spot in the rotation – it’s hard to see Kidd dropping below 10 given all of the minutes he’s giving up in the starting lineup for minutes limits – will be either Anderson or Reggie Evans, given that Shaun Livingston, Jason Terry, Andrei Kirilenko and Andray Blatche all seem like locks to be in it when healthy.

That battle for playing time will be something to watch moving forward.