Preseason1 Brooklyn Nets vs NY Knicks

Game Thread 708

Brooklyn Nets will start the first of their four preseason games of 2017-18 season on the road against the New York Knicks.

Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert will be out due to sprained ankle but the Nets are expected to have a starting lineup of Jeremy Lin, D’Angelo Russell, DeMarre Carroll, Rondae-Hollis Jefferson, and Timofey Mozgov. The same starting lineup have been playing together at the end of training camp and recent practices.

If Crabbe were healthy to play at the Small Forward (SF) position, DeMarre and RHJ are expected to compete for the starting Power Forward (PF) position but for now both players will start together.

Without Brook Lopez, the spotlight will be on the backcourt duo of Lin and Russell (DLo) as the main playmakers for the Nets team. Both can play point guards but with DLo’s preference to play shooting guard and Lin’s natural tendency as a point guard, they can work very well. The opposing defense will certainly need to pick their poison when both are on the floor.

It will be interesting to see how natural Lin/DLo duo will play off each other in actual NBA games. Coach Atkinson commended DLo’s on-the-ball defense but advised him to not relax on the off-the-ball defense.

“His off-the-ball stuff, he’s still got to clean up. He relaxes sometimes. [We’re] still working on that. But pleasantly surprised so far overall, and especially his defense has been pretty good. I’m going to keep on him about it.” Russell’s vision, passing and scoring aren’t in question. It’s his defense and consistency that must improve.

Let’s hope and pray the Nets can build their chemistry playing together in their first preseason game and be healthy throughout the season. Let’s go, JLIN!

Lin_LINE_LetsGo

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By psalm234