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Brooklyn Nets try yet another new starting lineup

By Nick Ziegler

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The Brooklyn Nets are trying desperately to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, as it’s been an up-and-down season so far, and they are struggling to hit their stride so far.

There have been good wins and bad losses for the Nets, to go along with plenty of trade rumors, and one big trade that sent Kevin Garnett back home to Minnesota. With the NBA trade deadline passed, the Nets need to focus at the task at hand, and that is making the playoffs.

In Lionel Hollins’ first year as the Nets’ head coach, he has had to change his starting lineups often, as injuries to Deron Williams and Brook Lopez caused change. On the second half of back-to-backs, Garnett would generally sit, also leading to different starting lineups. When Williams and Lopez came back from injuries, they didn’t regain their positions in the starting five right away, as with some wins, Hollins stayed with what was working.

Mason Plumlee has been the starting center mostly for the Nets all season, as Lopez missed time early in the season, which opened the door for Plumlee. Lopez would stay coming off the bench a majority of the time until just recently, as against the Utah Jazz, Lopez finally regained his spot in the starting lineup without Plumlee along side him. Plumlee has been struggling lately, as a concerning thing for the Nets is that Plumlee and Lopez just simply don’t play well together, or even if they are in the same arena.

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Newly acquired Thaddeus Young was coming off the bench along with Lopez recently, as Hollins was using a strange lineup with Joe Johnson at the power forward, which was destined to fail. As Lopez was finally moved into the starting lineup against the Jazz, so was Young, and the two produced well together.

In their first start together, Young and Lopez may not have gotten the Nets a win, but their success in the starting lineup together can bring future success. In his first start on the Nets, Young would score 19 points on 9-17 shooting with four steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Lopez would put together a double-double in the start, as he also scored 19 points on 8-17 shooting with 10 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Plumlee continued to struggle with Lopez being available to play however, as he played just 12 minutes with four points and four fouls. This offseason the Nets must make a decision regarding whether they are going to be sticking with Plumlee or Lopez, as both together isn’t helping the Nets on the court.

For the combination of Lopez and Young however, that should bring some optimism to Brooklyn for the stretch run, as the two worked well together.

Next: Who will the Nets take in the NBA Draft?

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