The Brooklyn Nets will be severely shorthanded on Friday against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesar’s Arena. Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford were ruled out for the match on the second night of a back-to-back due to left hamstring injury management.
The Nets are already without D’Angelo Russell and Noah Clowney, who are recovering from ankle injuries.
Nets shorthanded vs. Pistons with Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford sidelined
Thomas returned during Friday’s 121-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers following a two-month absence due to a hamstring strain. The 24-year-old posted 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting with one assist and three turnovers in 21 minutes.
While the Nets desperately need scoring help, head coach Jordi Fernandez said they won’t rush Thomas back to his usual workload.
“We’re excited to push him to whatever his body is ready for. He’s done a great job playing five-on-five, so all that load is being tested. That’s why we know he’s ready,” Fernandez said before the Portland matchup. “To get to the real minutes, per se, it’s not gonna happen right away, because we have to be careful and cautious. That’s why I have a great performance and medical staff. And those guys give me the guidelines and we execute it. And we’re ready for him to perform with the minutes he can play right now.”
Meanwhile, Watford has played an integral role for the Nets as a lead ball-handler in the second unit during a recent hot stretch. The 6-foot-8 point-forward averaged 13.8 points and 3.5 assists on 54.2 percent shooting over six appearances following Ben Simmons’ buyout. However, he’s struggled during the last two games, posting eight points on 3-of-10 shooting across a pair of losses.
Tosan Evbuomwan will remain with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate and is out for the Pistons matchup. The two-way wing has been impactful this season but is only eligible to be active for 10 of the team’s remaining 23 games.
The Nets have lost three of four games coming out of the All-Star break following a 6-1 stretch that vaulted them back into the play-in picture. Meanwhile, the Pistons have been the NBA’s hottest team, winning eight straight before Friday’s 134-119 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
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