Brooklyn Nets: 5 keys to making the 2019 NBA Playoffs

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 11: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets wears a uniform matching arm sleeve during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on January 11, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

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4. Tighten the rotation

This is a bit nit-picky, but playoff teams often have tight rotations. Kenny Atkinson has always been reluctant to overuse any particular player, which often leads to a deep dive into the bench unit.

Never has a player averaged over 30 minutes a game for an entire season under Atkinson’s reign, which has its own benefits and costs.

Keeping legs fresh is always a positive throughout the arduous 82-game season. Four games a week with that much physical exertion catches up to everyone at some point.

By the same token, however, that also takes away minutes from the team’s best players. The best players in the league sometimes exceed 36 minutes per game because their teams need them on the court as much as possible.

Now that there’s an impetus to win games, it might be time for Atkinson to condense minutes. Bumping up Dinwiddie and Russell four or so minutes per game will matter down the stretch, because every game matters from now on.

Allen Crabbe doesn’t need 26 minutes per game with how well Joe Harris, a better version of him, is playing. If Treveon Graham gets back on track as a shooter, Jared Dudley‘s tick can go down too.

No one is particularly hurting from these changes, either; better players should play more, and inferior players should play less. Atkinson’s current rotation is deep, egalitarian and good for the sake of development, but he will have to lean into his strengths to get through the home stretch.

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