Potential Nets rotation piece sidelined for road trip after injury setback
The Brooklyn Nets ruled out Trendon Watford for their upcoming three-game road trip due to a hamstring injury, head coach Jordi Fernandez announced Thursday. After he missed all four of the team's preseason games, the Nets listed Watford as available for last week's matchup with the Chicago Bulls. However, the forward reaggravated the injury pregame, leading to another extended absence .
"It's just based on the build-up," Fernandez said of Watford missing the road trip. "Not just his hamstring but also his body, to play at the level that we want him to play... As you know, when you're recovering from an injury, sometimes you're feeling better or worse, whatever timeline that you had. He's still on his timeline that we had from the beginning. It's just a lot of times, timelines can be one week [going] this way, [the next] the other way. He's still in a good place with what we hoped from the beginning."
The LSU product is expected to receive an expanded role this season as the Nets enter year one of a rebuild.
Nets lose Trendon Watford for multiple games after injury setback
Watford's return will add positional versatility to Brooklyn's rotation. After playing primarily small-ball center during his first two NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he transitioned to a point-froward role with the Nets in 2023-24. He was impactful in limited playing time, averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 52.7 percent shooting in 13.6 minutes per game.
At 6-foot-8 with above-average ball-handling ability, Watford would offer depth behind Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons. Fernandez could also deploy him as a small-ball center or power forward based on matchup.
Second-year forward Noah Clowney also missed Thursday's practice due to an illness. The 20-year-old was a late scratch for the Nets' last game due to hip soreness. His status for Friday's matchup with the Boston Celtics is unclear.
Clowney has stepped into a rotation role for the Nets this season after spending most of his rookie campaign in the G-League. The Alabama product has averaged 6.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks on 32/29/80 shooting splits in 16.1 minutes per game.
The Nets will face their toughest test of the season this weekend with a back-to-back against the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. They'll then travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans before returning home to face Boston again.
