Nets have five players in health and safety protocols

Update, Dec. 14 — James Harden and Bruce Brown are the latest players to enter COVID-19 protocols for Brooklyn on Tuesday. Both guards are going to miss Tuesday night’s game vs. the Raptors. The Nets are very thin on their active roster, though Kevin Durant (ankle) will play.

The Brooklyn Nets are the latest team to be dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak. The Nets have four new players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday morning — LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre’ Bembry, Jevon Carter and James Johnson join Paul Millsap. So that’s five roster regulars who won’t be able to play in the foreseeable future. We’ll see if any of them end up testing negative and return to the lineup sooner. It not, each of them will need to isolate for at least 10 days (other than Millsap, he’s been in protocols longer).

The Nets were one of three games on Thursday night, having to take on the Toronto Raptors in Brooklyn. The Nets should still have enough players to field a competitive team, but you wonder if more players will end up in protocols and the game will get called as a precaution. There has already been one game postponed Tuesday between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. The Bulls have 10 players in protocols and commissioner Adam Silver stepped in and canceled the game.

Here’ a look at the Nets’ depth chart with those five players out:

Kevin Durant
James Harden
Patty Mills
Cam Thomas
Bruce Brown
Blake Griffin
Nic Claxton
David Duke Jr.
Day’Ron Sharpe
Kessler Edwards

So while the bench will be pretty short, the Nets have plenty to get by against the Raptors on Tuesday night with KD and Harden. The issue may be at forward, but Claxton can hold down the center position while the Nets may be forced to use Griffin more minutes at PF.