Blake Griffin made his Nets debut on Sunday.
The first in 2019 was the two-handed tomb of the veteran striker – his first in 2019, which had the Barclays Center crowd standing. But Griffin’s subtle impact on the Nets’ victory over Washington made Steve Nash smile.
“I thought Blake was great,” Nash said. “I don’t think he filled in the statistics sheet, but only his experience, his intelligence, made winning pieces. In 15 minutes it was a plus-12, so I thought Blake is great and you can see how he can help us. ”
Griffin had just two points and two rebounds in 14:57. But, finishing a game with plus-12, he showed the understanding of basketball and defensive versatility.
“He was a great man, it was great to just go back there and get some rhythm,” Griffin said. “It’s hard to recreate yourself in a real game atmosphere. So, to get out there, you know you felt good and I felt it was a good start. But you know, some have room for improvement, obviously. ”
Griffin took a charge on Bradley Beal, selected Landry Shamet open for a 3-point corner and yes, blew center Robin Lopez for a two-handed shot. It was his first in December 2019, and the Cheshire cat grinned on the way up – with the Nets bank erupting – showed how much it meant.
“It simply came to my notice then. I knew that once it happened it would be one thing. And so I tried not to look at the bench when I turned down. But then I kind of took a look and saw DeAndre to the end, and I saw [everybody] standing. So it’s hard not to smile in that situation. But I thought it would be good to get out of the way and move on, ”said Griffin, who said he heard the crowd’s reaction.
“I think our crowd was great,” he said. “Obviously, limited, but our crowd was great. I noticed her a little, I tried to stay closed, but I certainly heard [them]. But the best part of the big crowds is when there is a moment in the game and the fans are known, they know what is happening, they will cheer for anyone on our team. I always appreciate playing in front of crowds who know what’s going on. ”
Landry Shamet suffered a sprained ankle and will be evaluated on Monday.
“I do not know [the severity]. He’ll definitely do a scan or an image and we’ll go from there, “Nash said. “But unfortunately I have no other details.”
Kevin Durant missed his 15th straight game with a basket injury.
With the Nets having to fill one of the two open spots on the list by Monday, they will do so by adding Alize Johnson, 6-foot-7, 212-pounds ahead. The move was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Post.
A pick in the second round of 2018, Johnson easily played for Indiana in his first two years, shooting 41.4 percent off the field last season and 37.5 in depth. He dominated the G-League for the Raptors 905 and is favored to be named the league’s MVP on Monday. He averaged 16.6 points and was second in recovery (13.3) and efficiency (27.2).
Johnson attracted interest from the Magic, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs and Suns, according to The Ringer. Brooklyn still has an open place in the list of players, the deadline for trading is approaching Thursday and Shamet’s injury. If they need a long-term replacement, JJ Redick – who lives in Brooklyn out of season – could be a potential match.