Dennis Schroder is in his 12th NBA season, so this is nothing new for him.
Schroder played in the lineup alongside another point guard early in his career with the Thunder, Lakers and Celtics, and says it wasn't a huge adjustment to be on the floor at the same time as three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. in the preseason opener against the Nets.
“It was great,” Schroder said after Friday's practice in Brooklyn. “At OKC, I played with two point guards named Shai. [Gilgeous-Alexander] and C.P. [Chris Paul] And myself. Then I played with LeBron. [James] and A.D. [Anthony Davis]there was no point guard there. Then I played with Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown. [in Boston].
“I always find my way. At the end of the day, whatever it takes for the team to get it done, I'm going to do it. If I got the ball, Ben made the sacrifice.” If he said that, I would do the same thing. So for me, it's not about ego, it's just about wanting to win and go out and compete at the highest level. I want to win some dubs.”
Schroder, who is making $13.03 million this season on an expiring contract, averaged 14.6 points and 6.0 assists in 29 games (25 starts) with the Nets last season after the February trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie to Toronto. did.
Simmons, who is 6-foot-10, has been trying to stay healthy after undergoing another lower back surgery in the spring.
He also played several minutes at center in a small-ball alignment in Tuesday's loss to the Clippers in the West due to injuries to Nets big men Nic Claxton and Dayron Sharpe.
First-year Nets coach Jordi Fernandez expects to reassess his alignment to start Monday's game against the Wizards at Barclays Center.
“For now, it will happen, yes, in the next game,” Fernandes said. “I'm happy with how we played as a group. We started with two point guards and we'll do the same again.
“I thought our combination was good. We obviously struggled rebounding, but that's something we worked on. Are we small? Maybe we are, but we found bodies and attacked bodies and We've got to do a better job of finishing our possessions. For now, we're going to stick with it.”
In addition to the two point guards, the Nets' starting lineup for the opening game also included Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
“What we can do better is handle the ball offensively and defensively, rebound better and get back in transition,” Fernandez said. “So we watched film and I felt really good during the game.
“Obviously, you still want to win every game and give yourself a chance, and we gave ourselves a chance. The start of the game was turbulent. They made tough shots. We hit hard, but our team continued to do the right things. And it was a fun game to watch.”
Fernandez added that Claxton is “doing a good job of coming back” from his hamstring issue in time for the regular-season opener Oct. 23 in Atlanta.
“We are still aiming [for the] It's the first game of the season,” Fernandes said. “Will he play in the next few games? I don't know, but he's doing well.”
Sharpe is still expected to be out for several weeks, as is former Knicks winger Bojan Bogdanovic, who is recovering from wrist and foot injuries.
