Should Lopez be Back in the Starting Five For Brooklyn?
When Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett joined the Nets in the summer of 2014, it seemed like Brooklyn had built a formidable starting line-up that would bring joy to its fans and fears to others. The joy came to an end as the Nets failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and saw Pierce and Livingston walk away in offseason.
Before the Nets finished half of their season, Brook Lopez suffered a broken foot injury and was out for the rest of the season. This season, Lopez started his first 21 games, but has been coming off the bench ever since, scoring 15.6 points per game, the lowest output since his rookie year in 2008.
It is no secret that the Brooklyn Nets have been a struggling team this season. Under the new coaching system of Lionel Hollins and injuries of its star players (Deron Williams, Mirza Teletovic, and Brook Lopez), the Nets have won only 21 of its first 50 games. At one point this season, the Nets had lost 7 straight games. Then, four games later, the team suffered two traumatic and humiliating losses to the Clippers and the Jazz, losing by a combined 74 points. In those two games, Lopez averaged 5 points on 25% shooting from the field.
Despite the team’s struggle, Brook Lopez’s play has been on the rise. In an overtime thriller against the Toronto Raptors, Lopez came off the bench again but scored a season-high 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The last time Brook scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds was in 2012 against Dallas Mavericks. Against the New York Knicks, Brook Lopez scored 22 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots in the team’s 92-88 victory in the battle of the boroughs. He followed his strong performance in New York in Washington, where he scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the 114-77 loss to the Wizards.
After being rumored to be on the trading block, Lopez’s game has been as its best. It is time for Lopez to start for the Nets once again. At 26 years old, Lopez next few years could be the final years of his prime. Coming off the bench would not be beneficial to the big man’s career or the Nets.
Although Plumlee shows lots of potential, the Nets need Lopez for both his defense and offense. In the past few games, he has proven to the team that he deserves to start.
After all, you can’t spell Brooklyn without “Brook.”