The Brooklyn Nets will be without two key role players to start the 2022-23 season. Head coach Steve Nash announced Sunday that Joe Harris and Seth Curry have both been ruled out for Brooklyn's home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 19.
Harris missed the Nets' final three preseason games while dealing with soreness in the same foot as his surgically repaired ankle. The sharpshooter played just 14 gamers last season before undergoing two surgeries on the ankle. The seventh-year Net has cemented himself as one of the top 3-point shooters in the league, converting at a 45 percent clip on 5.5 attempts per game over his last five seasons. Nash said Harris is progressing and will return to contact in practices this week.
Curry also had surgery to repair his ankle this offseason. The 32-year-old started all 17 of his games with Brooklyn following the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade last season, averaging 14.9 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting from three. Nash said Curry is progressing as expected and participated in four-on-four action during Sunday's practice. The head coach said he is not worried about either player as the team approaches the regular season.
“I’m not concerned. I’m positive, I’m optimistic,” Nash said about Harris and Curry via Brian Lewis of New York Post. “It’s just straightforward, guys coming back from surgery and assimilating back to play.
“It’s not always like straight up, sometimes you go through some adaptation issues,” he continued. “I think those guys are facing that, more than the emergency lights are on and we’re concerned. I think we feel like this is all a part of them getting back to it. … It’s well within the realm of normalcy for guys to have hiccups after surgery.”
Joe Harris and Seth Curry represent the top floor-spacers on Brooklyn's roster with both at 43.9 percent from three for their careers. Elite shooting is an important need for Brooklyn among role players given Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton's skillsets as non-shooters. Royce O'Neale will slot into the starting lineup and the Nets will lean on the wing for shooting with Harris and Curry injured.
Brooklyn acquired O'Neale from the Utah Jazz for a first-round pick this summer. The 29-year-old started 210 of his 219 games over the last three seasons with the Jazz. O'Neale carved out a valuable role as a three-and-D wing during that span, shooting 38.4 percent from deep while routinely guarding the opposing team's best player.
Cam Thomas and Patty Mills will be in line for extended work in the backcourt with Curry injured. Thomas is entering his second year after Brooklyn selected the guard 27th overall in the 2021 draft, while Mills signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Nets this offseason.
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