The Nets have been surprisingly competitive during the early going and they have veterans Dennis Schröder, Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith to thank for it, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Schröder entered Monday’s game against the Pelicans fifth in the league in minutes logged at 352. Johnson was tied for 13th (340), while Finney-Smith is fourth on the team at 289, Lewis notes. Finney-Smith missed the game with an ankle sprain, Lewis tweets.
That trio headed into the week averaging a combined 47.5 points per game. Any or all of them could end up getting dealt before February’s trade deadline.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Johnson headed into Monday’s contest with an impressive streak, Lewis notes. He hadn’t turned the ball over in any of the past seven games, making him the first player in NBA history to log at least 30 minutes without a giveaway in a seven-game stretch. He has never averaged more than 1.1 turnover per game in any season. That could be underrated aspect of his appeal as a trade candidate. Johnson has two more years left after this season on his four-year, $90MM+ contract.
- Pistons forward Ausar Thompson, who had been sidelined by blood clotting issues, has been officially cleared to return to action by the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel. The team will slowly ramp up his workload as he prepares for his season debut, Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press reports. Thompson is thrilled by the decision. “It feels great,” Thompson said. “The last seven to eight months have been a lot of work, and I had all the support from my family and team. Feels good to have the opportunity to go out there and play again.”
- Bennedict Mathurin is eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer and the third-year swingman is enhancing his resume with his early-season performances. He led the banged-up Pacers to a win over the Knicks on Sunday with a career-best 38 points. “Benn Mathurin was absolutely breathtaking,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “Efficient. Tough physically. … When he gets it going like he does today, he’s a bucket. He’s gonna be a bucket.” Mathurin is averaging 23.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in five starts.