After opening the season with a DNP, Nets guard Lonnie Walker IV is impressing with an increased workload over the past three games as Brooklyn deals with injuries.
With Spencer Dinwiddie going down with an ankle sprain on Monday, Walker stepped in and registered 19 points, following that up with a 17-point performance on Wednesday without Dinwiddie or Dennis Smith Jr. in the lineup. In three games this season, Walker is averaging 16.7 points, shooting a blistering 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. His performance so far isn’t surprising his teammates, according to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis.
“That’s Lonnie Walker,” teammate Ben Simmons said. “If you watched him last year, you know what he’s capable of. He deserves to play every night. He’s one of the guys we need on this team to have nights like this.”
Walker signed with the Nets on a one-year, minimum contract this summer after averaging 11.7 points as a key rotation piece for the Lakers last year.
“This goes a long ways,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I don’t play him the first game. … For him to still have the commitment to the team, to [say,] ‘All right second game, let’s see what coach does.’ Third game, to stay with us. To me that speaks to who he is, how we can build with him. And he’s showing the ability that he can produce.”
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