Inside The Nets

The importance of Lonnie Walker IV to the Brooklyn Nets lineup

Lonnie Walker IV has missed significant time due to an injury, but beforehand, he was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Marin Gabric

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The Brooklyn Nets have played eight consecutive games without Lonnie Walker IV, and during this stretch, the team has felt the absence of his outstanding bench scoring. The 25-year-old guard maintains an impressive average of 14.6 points per game, shooting at 48.9% from the field and an impressive 46.3% from beyond the arc.

That scoring punch has been sorely missed, as Jacque Vaughn relies on his star players to shoulder most of the offensive load. Cameron Thomas and Mikal Bridges are doing their best to keep scoring, but more is needed to keep them playing at the highest level possible.

"I've been in the league; this is my sixth year. This is the real first year where I can showcase my abilities offensively as far as a three-level scorer," Lonnie said back in November. "And he is allowing me to play through that, and I thank God and coach JV for the opportunity. I take it to the heart. I really wanna play to the best of my capabilities but play smart as well."

Lonnie has made massive strides with the Nets

The Estimated Plus Minus (EPM) metric estimates a player's contribution to the team in points per 100 possessions. The 6'4" guard has made the biggest improvement out of any player from the 2022/23 season to this current campaign, as his EPM increased by 4.9.

Lonnie expresses contentment being part of the Nets, relishing a more significant role compared to his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. His joy in Brooklyn stems from the opportunity to showcase his unique style of basketball, supported by a coaching staff that wholeheartedly believes in his capabilities.

Bench production is sorely needed in Brooklyn

The Nets have been ravaged by injuries this season, and while he played through a lower-body injury earlier in the season, Lonnie finally succumbed to a hamstring injury that has taken him out for the past eight games. Coach Vaughn's bench unit has felt the impact of this development, lacking any designated spark plug.

This meant Mikal, Cam, or Spencer Dinwiddie had to do double duty just to shore up their offensive troubles whenever the starting lineup sat. Getting Walker back will relieve the Nets' problems as they're dealing with depth and fatigue.

Jacque Vaughn provides cryptic recovery update around Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Smith Jr. after Nets' rocky road trip

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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