MarShon Brooks received a pretty definitive job description from Nets coach Avery Johnson, and the rookie heard what every player longs to hear.
“ ‘Go Rook, go shoot it again, go shoot it again,’ ” said Brooks, the No. 25 pick out of Providence. “That’s a great feeling.”
Brooks had a strong game in his unofficial pro debut, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the Nets’ 92-83 loss to the Knicks yesterday in Newark.
“Just what we wanted,” Johnson said when asked what he saw from Brooks. “Being able to make plays off the dribble when we get stuck. We didn’t have that last year. It’s exactly what we wanted. ”
Brooks could be a perfect fit in a Nets backcourt that contains point guard deluxe Deron Williams and shooter supreme Anthony Morrow.
“I was nervous as hell. I got out there and I forgot how to breathe, play basketball, dribble,” Brooks said. “At the beginning, I felt I was a little bit too erratic, trying to make something happen. … I’m going to try to provide energy on the defensive end and then just do what I do. Just try to go out there and score the ball at a high rate and try to be efficient, too.”
* Williams spoke with the YES Network about returning to the Nets in an interview that aired yesterday.
“I want to come back. In a perfect world, I would come back and re-sign here if everything aligns right,” Williams said.
* Brook Lopez on the Knicks’ front line: “Obviously Amar’e [Stoudemire] is Amar’e. But with the addition of Tyson [Chandler], it definitely makes them tough. He’s a big body, a talented defender. It’s tough being the first game back from the lockout going up against him. It was definitely good for me.”
* Knicks swingman Bill Walker sat after missing last four practices with strained groin. Walker hopes to be at practice tomorrow at the earliest.
* The Nets were without Shawne Williams, who sat with flu-like symptoms. … When Renaldo Balkman lined up to shoot his second free throw with 40.1 seconds remaining, having already racked up 20 points, the Knicks reserve heard chants of “MVP! MVP!”