Brooklyn Nets frontcourt talks staying fit for season’s second half

The Brooklyn Nets frontcourt has continued to go through a variety of changes this season as the team attempts to right the ship for a strong second half.

The Brooklyn Nets have gone through a few transitions in their frontcourt, rotating different combinations of big men all season. There is plenty of depth but still no consistent rotation as head coach Kenny Atkinson continues to make adjustments.

The Nets relied on their frontcourt depth in Friday night’s victory over the Miami Heat as forward Quincy Acy stepped up nicely off the bench, contributing seven points and four rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Atkinson praised the veteran forward’s instant energy after the game during his post game press conference.

"“I thought Caris [LeVert] and Quincy [Acy] came in the game and changed the energy. Caris had a big hand in it, obviously Quincy shooting opened up the floor for us. Lastly, our offense definitely wasn’t pretty by any means but a really good defensive performance.”"

The Nets defeated the favored Heat, showing the same energy and hustle that has become the calling card of the entire team. This past Thursday Acy, along with fellow big men Tyler Zeller and Jahlil Okafor, participated in drills with local kids in Brooklyn as part of the NBA’s FIT week. The trio of Nets encouraged kids to be active with fun activities and spoke about the importance of staying physically fit.

"Acy: “NBA Fitness is very much so needed in today’s society, You know with today it’s a lot of video games and a lot of kids who just like to stay in the house. Being active and being fit are a healthy part of living along with eating right and I think this is very vital, I like doing this. I like to see the kids, I like to come and talk to the kids.”Zeller: “Yeah, I think NBA Fit is very important, being able to get kids out especially with video games, TV everything that we have nowadays, being able to get out and be active, stay in shape. Being able to do those types of things are very important and then eating the right way is always very important. Whether you’re a baby or 90 years old, what you eat is very important. Just keep that healthy diet to live as long as possible.”"

The Nets’ most recent trade acquisition Okafor made his community events debut expressing his thoughts on NBA FIT and transition from Philadelphia to Brooklyn.

"Okafor: “I’m doing pretty fine. It wasn’t too bad of a move, I was in Philadelphia it was like an hour, a little over a hour so it’s been a smooth transition. I’m enjoying it.”“I love it, this is my first community event here in Brooklyn, so I’m happy to be here with the kids, but I think it’s really important for kids to understand the importance of being healthy and being fit. I think what we are doing here today is they are learning there are other ways to be fit then just running and jumping and running a treadmill, you can dance we have a boxing class, we have yoga over there so there are a bunch of other ways to still have fun and be fit, so I think everybody’s enjoying it and I am too.”"

The Nets welcomed back D’Angelo Russell to the lineup as well on Friday after missing 32 games due to knee surgery. The addition of Russell and continued growth of Okafor learning the offense shows potential heading into the season’s second half.

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The interesting plot line heading into the All-Star break will be the pieces that could possibly be traded before the deadline next month. A few Nets names are expected to float around that could change the overall plan for this and next year’s squad.