EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brooklyn Nets coach Lionel Hollins issued the same challenge to Mason Plumlee that he previously issued to Brook Lopez:
Play better.
Plumlee has logged just 19 total minutes in the Nets' past four games, including a one-minute stint Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
“(Mason) needs to play better,” Hollins said Friday after practice. “He. Has. To. Play. Better. I’ll say it again. It’s not just scoring because we’ve talked about Brook. It’s not just rebounding. It’s not just defense. It’s everything. Being (in) the right spot, making the right rotation, finishing a layup, getting a defensive rebound, getting an offensive rebound. And I have to go with who I have confidence in ... that’s why certain guys play and certain guys don’t. You gotta give me confidence.”
Hollins has played Jerome Jordan over Plumlee in stretches.
“He’s done what we’ve asked,” Hollins said of Jordan. “And that’s why I give him those few minutes. ... (1) Because I trust Jerome a little more in (those situations), and (2) Jerome is 6-11 and he plays 6-11, so when he comes in the game we still have a big guy in the game. I found out earlier when I was going with Mirza (Teletovic) and Mason, we got outrebounded and we didn’t guard the basket at all.”
Plumlee has tried to expand his game offensively, adding a hook shot. But that hasn’t enabled him to have success on the court.
“It has nothing to do with expanding his game,” Hollins said. “If he comes out here and hits 10 jumpers, that’s not going to make him play more, because there’s a lot more that I want. Just like you guys think that I’m on Brook. I want Brook to be as good as he can be, I want our team to be as good as we can be.
“That means getting out of your comfort zone and making second and third and fourth efforts on offense to go get an offensive rebound or to set an extra screen or to roll, on defense to help and to recover, help and recover again and then go out and get a defensive rebound. Winning teams, if you watch them, they do all of those things. Not just that they score, not just that they rebound, all of those things.”
Since Nov. 9, the Nets rank 18th in rebounding (41.3 per game), 25th in turnovers (16.0) and 20th in opponents’ offensive rebounds (11.0).
“Every team has shortcomings,” Hollins said. “I’m not saying we’re gonna be the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the NBA, but we can’t stand out and just shoot 3s and shoot 53, 54 percent every night and count on winning. We’ve gotta get some offensive rebounds, we’ve gotta get some post-ups, we’ve gotta get some paint points.”
Hollins added: “I mean, defense has been an issue because we haven’t been consistent at it, and we haven’t rebounded consistently. It has been an issue.”
Hollins said playing zone defense is not the answer, though.
“If you can’t stop teams in a man-to-man, you’re not gonna stop them in a zone either,” he said.
Up-tempo teams have also given the Nets trouble. They are 1-5 against teams in the top 10 in the NBA in pace. Their only win is against the 0-15 Philadelphia 76ers.
Hollins wants the Nets to keep scrapping to make up for their lack of athleticism, helping more, being in the right spots and making teams take shots in traffic.
“Basically, what I’m saying is, it’s a process,” Hollins said.
Bad at finishing: When Joe Johnson was asked about the team’s struggles, he brought up the fourth quarter in particular. Since Nov. 9, the Nets are dead last in fourth-quarter field goal percentage (35.2) and 25th in 3-point accuracy (25.9).
“In the fourth quarters especially, we just get a little hesitant,” Johnson said.
“We’re trying to find our identity, to be honest with you ... we don’t even know what kind of team we’re trying to be,” Johnson said. “I think we’re still trying to figure it out, so that makes things a little more complicated.”