The Nets lost a main ball driver when Spencer Dinwiddie partially broke his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Hornets.
As a result, Chris Chiozza appeared to be ahead of both Bruce Brown and Tyler Johnson in coach Steve Nash’s rotation. Given that he is a natural pointer, Chiozza probably looks more fit for the role than the others.
On Monday, in his season debut against the Grizzlies, Chiozza won 5 vs. 14 from the floor with three triples to tie his maximum career run with 14 points. He helped anchor the Nets ’second unit, which ran out of Caris LeVert because he was promoted to starter with Kyrie Irving sitting the second night back.
“Cheese gave us another ball manager tonight,” Nash said after Monday’s loss. “Without Spencer and Ky, heavy [load] about Caris handling the ball. They were trying to take him and deny him on the court, so Cheese really helped, not only to handle the ball, but he made a few plays and scored for us. ”
Brown and Johnson have not recorded a minute in the last two games, but each saw some time in wins over the Warriors and Celtics when Chiozza was inactive to start the season.
Chiozza, 25, signed his first deal with the Nets in January. In 18 games with them last season, Chiozza averaged 6.4 points in 15 1/2 minutes per game. He also appeared in 10 games with the Wizards.
After re-signing with the Nets on December 1, Chiozza was given up on concluding the training camp before signing another two-way deal on December 22.
“My job is to always be ready, I found out last year when I got here,” Chiozza said. “They threw me out when I didn’t expect it, but they do a good job of making me work every day, of working harder when I’m not playing.
“You never want your teammate to get hurt and pray for Spencer, we’re here for him, I hope he comes back soon. It’s a big part of that team. While he’s out, we take it, everyone takes it, to do a little more than we’ve been doing, collectively. “