Brooklyn Nets forward Mirza Teletovic will make his first career start in place of injured Nets center Brook Lopez, moving Kevin Garnett to starting center for the first time this season.
“He was taped and ready to go, he tried,” Kidd said of his star center. “The medical staff felt that he wasn’t ready, and I think he had agreed to that too.”
Teletovic shined in Friday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, hitting a career-high five three-pointers, but Kidd said that Teletovic’s start was predicated on his full season performance. “Mirza’s played well for us.”
This will be Lopez’s second consecutive missed game after spraining his ankle against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Moving Garnett to the 5 means he’ll likely guard Spencer Hawes, who’s shooting a career-best 44.6 percent from three-point range. Even though Garnett’s 37, he’s one of the more mobile big men on the Nets, and he’ll more willingly move out of the paint than Lopez. But the Nets will sorely miss their All-Star big man.