The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a 133-109 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in which head coach Jordi Fernandez took the blame for not having his players ready to play. Heading into Friday's game at the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fernandez will try to get his team ready to face another tough opponent, but he will be trying to do without as many of his players available.
The Nets announced that center Nic Claxton and forward Ziaire Williams are out for Friday's game at the Timberwolves due to their respective situations. Claxton is out for the game due to rest while Williams is out due to right patella tendinopathy, also known as jumper's knee, which could indicate that Williams could use some time off his feet as well.
In addition to Claxton and Williams, Cam Johnson, D'Angelo Russell, and Day'Ron Sharpe are out for the game as they are still dealing with their injuries that have kept them out for the past few games. Fernandez admitted during Thursday's pregame media session that Johnson, Russell, and Sharpe are still hurting from their injuries, but did not rule out any of the trio for the rest of the season.
At this point, with the regular-season finale on Sunday against the New York Knicks, it's possible that all of the players on the injury report for Friday's contest in Minnesota could be done for the reminder of the season. With that being said, four of the five starters are out for Friday, meaning that starting shooting guard Keon Johnson will will be joined by four new players.
Based off of the lineups for the past few games, it seems that Reece Beekman will start at point guard and Trendon Watford will start at power forward. With Claxton and Williams out, Brooklyn could field a lineup with Drew Timme at center and Jalen Wilson at one of the forward spots as the Nets continue to evaluate some of the younger/lesser-used players on the roster with the season coming to a close.
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