The Brooklyn Nets \u2014specifically interim head coach Kevin Ollie \u2014may have a problem on their hands.<\/p>\n
As if the team being 26-26, 11th in the East wasn\u2019t bad enough. As if the team being 5-13 under Ollie wasn\u2019t bad enough. Ollie may be suffering from a bad case of nepotism.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look at everything in totality<\/a> \u2026it\u2019s just not points,\u201d Ollie said last Tuesday, per SB Nation\u2019s Net Income. \u201cWe want guys that come in here and play with energy and [Lonnie Walker IV<\/a>] does that most of the time. But hopefully he can just take care of his minutes and it\u2019s on him to make me play him more.\u201d<\/p>\n Those are strange comments to hear from Ollie, considering Walker is routinely a spark off the bench. Not just with points, although he was averaging 11.5 points per game and shooting 43.3 percent before the All-Star Break. Walker simply plays a high-energy style when he\u2019s on the floor, which is easily seen when he\u2019s attacking the rim. It\u2019s also shown up on the defensive end, though that\u2019s still an area of growth for the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n That being said, Ollie going out of his way to ensure Most Improved Player candidate Cam Thomas<\/a> develops his game and gets opportunities. As a result, it seems like favoritism on the part of the interim head coach, rather than just merit-based decision-making.<\/p>\n Even with Walker in a slump since the All-Star Break, he played twice as many games before All-Star Weekend (34) than he has since (17). That\u2019s twice as much evidence for Walker making a positive impact<\/a> for the Nets than not.<\/p>\n