Chaos is a ladder in the NBA. Just ask guys like Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges. Both have been burdened with heightened purpose this season in Brooklyn because of various factors and decisions out of their control.
That chaos came in the form of injuries in Monday’s 96-88 road defeat of the Toronto Raptors. The untimely absences of Thomas, Cam Johnson, Dennis Smith Jr. and others ensured Noah Clowney’s spot in the Nets’ rotation for the third straight game.
And the rookie center took advantage of his cameo appearances in the team’s 96-88 victory, finishing with seven points, six rebounds, one steal and one block.
“I told him before the game to be ready before the game,” Trendon Watford said. “He was playing the four spot and sometimes he plays the 5, and Noah has a lot of talent. He’s good, a good kid, so the sky’s the limit for him. He was just ready tonight and I’m proud of him.”
Watford was not simply spewing veteran advice. The third-year forward practiced what he preached to his rookie teammate, matching Dennis Schröder’s game-high 19 points off the bench.
“Once a player goes down its next man up,” Watford said. “That’s when your work shows and what you’ve been doing in the dark.”
Clowney was third on the team in rebounding against Toronto, was one of four Nets players to record a block, and had a defensive rating of 90.0, which was first among the seven rotation players who saw at least 13 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Watford battled on the glass throughout the night and scored eight of his points in that pivotal fourth quarter.
Not to be forgotten were the contributions of another rookie forward, Jalen Wilson, who made his second start of the season against two former college teammates in Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji. The Kansas product chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and two assists, and interim head coach Kevin Ollie made sure to credit all three for their composure despite the chaotic nature of Monday’s matchup.
Watford, Clowney and Wilson averaged 11.1, 8.5 and 13.8 minutes per game entering the night, respectively. Wilson played 30 minutes against the Raptors, while Watford and Clowney both played 21.
“They delivered big time,” Ollie said.
“You never know when you’re going to get your opportunity. You never know when the opportunity is going to knock and you have to always have to be ready and stay ready and I think they did a great job with that. That just shows their want and their will and staying in the game… A lot of times I hear them on the bench. Even when [they’re] not playing, I hear them. And that’s always a great thing for a coach.”
Johnson, Smith Jr. and Bates-Diop have already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Thomas questionable. So, Watford, Clowney and Wilson already know when their next opportunity to play meaningful minutes will come.
Brooklyn’s postseason aspirations may already be out of reach being 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final Play-In spot with just 10 regular season games left. But the key to salvaging whatever is left starts with the mentality these three young players obviously share.
“You have to celebrate the wins, even though it’s been a long season,” Clowney said. “We haven’t won too many, but you have to celebrate the ones you do get. It’s not easy to win at this level. So have a good time, whatever we do, and we’ve got another game real soon.”
