Injuries forcing Jordi Fernandez, Nets to play next man up
The Nets find themselves scrapping for seconds and short-handed once again.
Prior to Saturday’s game against the 76ers at Barclays Center, the team announced that Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson were ruled out of the game and beyond.
Thomas, who missed 13 games due to a left hamstring injury, suffered a new left hamstring injury in the Nets’ 113-110 win over the Bucks on Thursday.
The team’s top scorer, averaging a career-high 24.7 points per game, will be evaluated after the Nets’ West Coast trip from Jan. 10-19 — six games in 10 days.
Meanwhile, Johnson suffered a right ankle sprain in the final seconds of the Milwaukee game after Noah Clowney landed on the forward’s foot after grabbing a rebound.
The X-rays following the game came back negative, but the Nets announced that Johnson is expected to miss the next three games and will be evaluated before the long road trip.
The injuries leave head coach Jordi Fernandez’s hands tied again, forcing him to turn to his bench and ask for the next man up.
“There’s gonna be a lot of minutes to be played and a lot of shots to be taken and it’s not just one person,” Fernandez said ahead of tipoff. “And I think the guys have a great mindset and a togetherness and I think we’re ready to fill right there what we need to fill. So, excited to see some of these others guys do things that they’re not used to doing or maybe as much. So, a good challenge for all of us.
“We’ll have right around 10-11 healthy bodies and rotations can go 9-10, so it’s gonna be everybody. Sometimes even if I say I want this guy to take more shots, you never know because all of those guys have done a good job being open and shooting it. I’m happy with all of them as long as they take good shots and high-volume shots. That’s how we’re gonna go about it.”
Thomas’ injury is more of a mystery for the Nets as it’s unknown where it originated.
His first hamstring ailment came from a routine step-back shot against the Warriors on Nov. 25.
“I think it was discomfort,” Fernandez explained. “Because at some point, I can see the difference between the first half and second half, energy-wise and efficiency. But I can also think, ‘Well, you haven’t played in a while, so, you know, you’re not as fresh,’ so I don’t know. I have no idea, but, you know, he did a good job getting back and being ready to play.
“He started great, the two games. Orlando, and being able to get back, both games were very efficient in the first stint he played. And now this injury is — I feel for him because obviously we want CT with us, and he was doing a great job scoring efficiently. And you know, day-to-day, we want to have him around, and we will have him around, it’s just not on the court. But we know he’ll be back soon.”
The Nets will now rely heavily on D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons — who have yet to play on the court at the same time— to orchestrate the offense.
They served as replacements for one another against the Raptors on Wednesday, with Russell scoring 22 off the bench.
Simmons went for an alarming minus-18 with two points and six assists.
Fernandez is unsure of just how he will utilize the two in the near future.
“Right now, with the bodies we have, we’re going to try to do, you know, we’re a little limited to be creative right there,” Fernandez said. “So, I’m happy obviously with them playing together or playing separately because you always want a ball handler and a player that can create for his teammates, and they both can do it. In the long run, I don’t know. I don’t want to make things up in my mind. … I’m looking forward to them telling me how they want to play and how they complement each other, and, ultimately, the rest of the group.”
