It was never part of the initial plan to have Garrett Temple take double-digit shot attempts for the Brooklyn Nets on a night-to-night basis. He didn’t have to do so until the last game Kyrie Irving played, which was game No. 11 in 2019-20.
Yet, since Irving went down, Temple has taken 10 or more shots in 13 games.
Now, some night’s Temple has been lights out. He recently scored 25 against the Atlanta Hawks on 10-for-19 shooting, 4-for-9 from three.
But that performance has been sandwiched by some rough performances.
Over the last five games, Temple is shooting 24.3% from long-range, 26.6% overall. Take out his night against the Hawks and those percentages dip down to 17.9 and 15.6, respectively.
Unfortunately for the Nets, with Irving and Caris LeVert out, their scoring options are limited. Spencer Dinwiddie can only do so much, and Joe Harris is taking plenty of shots, as well.
Although David Nwaba made more of an impact on the defensive end, this may be where the loss of the wing is felt most right now. He was shooting well from three and scoring in the paint occasionally, too. Nwaba could help take some pressure off Temple — and provide a slight lift on nights the veteran wing can’t fin his shot.
Of course, the return of LeVert — or Irving, but that seems far away — would help remedy the situation, too