The Brooklyn Nets' halfcourt offense was the central question mark surrounding the new-look team entering 2023-24. The majority of offensive concerns stemmed from spacing issues with Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton, two non-shooters, sharing the floor in Brooklyn's starting five.

However, Claxton went down with an ankle injury during Brooklyn's season opener. In the two games he's missed, the Nets have turned to Ben Simmons as a point-center in a five-out system. The result has been one of the NBA's most potent offenses.

Brooklyn leads the league at 126.5 points per game while playing at the NBA's fifth-fastest pace during that span.

When asked what challenges the Nets present ahead of their matchup with Miami Wednesday, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra quickly alluded to the pace and space Simmons has provided, as well as Cam Thomas' ability to take advantage of it.

“They're playing fast, that goes without saying. You can see it just from their numbers,” Spoelstra said. “Without Claxton, they’re playing smaller, a little bit more positionless, you don’t necessarily know who the center is. You could probably say Simmons is the point and their center. That's allowed a lot of space and Cam Thomas has really taken advantage of that space.”

Ben Simmons is averaging 8.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists to start the year, joining Jason Kidd as the second player in Nets franchise history with 25-plus rebounds and 25-plus assists in the first three games of a season.

Cam Thomas' breakout has been even more impressive. The 22-year-old became the second youngest player in league history to open a season with three straight 30-point games, trailing only Shaquille O'Neal. Thomas ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.0 points on 62.5 percent shooting, behind only Luka Doncic (39.5), Donovan Mitchell (35.0) and Stephen Curry (33.5).

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The Nets' offensive success with Simmons pushing the pace and spraying the ball in the five-out has not been limited to those two. Eight players have scored in double figures over their last two games. Brooklyn had five players make three or more threes during a last-second loss at Dallas on Friday.

Simmons found success in a five-out system throughout his career in Philadelphia and at points last season. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said he won't shy away from using those lineups, regardless of matchup.

“We played small at different times throughout the course of last year,” Vaughn said pregame Friday. “You know I’m not scared to do that no matter who the big is. We played (Nikola) Jokic and we played five out. He’s one of the best, the MVP of the league, so we’re not scared to do that.”

Simmons and Claxton are undoubtedly two of Brooklyn's top five players. However, Simmons' production and the team's overall offensive potency with Claxton sidelined raise even more questions about the pairing's fit alongside one another moving forward.

Claxton remains out against Miami, with Vaughn calling him day-to-day. The 24-year-old will have another opportunity to return when Brooklyn travels to Chicago on Friday.