Dennis Schroder is entering his 12th NBA season, so this is nothing new for him.
Schroder has played in lineups alongside another point guard earlier in his career with the Thunder, the Lakers and the Celtics, so he says it wasn’t a huge adjustment being on the floor at the same time with three-time All-Star Ben Simmons in the preseason opener with the Nets.
“It was cool,” Schroder said after practice Friday in Brooklyn. “In OKC, I played with two point guards, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and CP [Chris Paul] and myself. After that I played with LeBron [James] and AD [Anthony Davis], and wasn’t the point guard there. Then I played with Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown [in Boston].
“I always find my way. At the end of the day, whatever it takes for the team to get it done, I will do it. If it’s me bringing up the ball, Ben’s gotta sacrifice and run into the corner. And if he brings it up, I’ll do the same. So for me, it’s no egos, I just want to win, get out there and compete on the highest level and get some dubs.”
Schroder, who is earning $13.03 million this season on an expiring deal, averaged 14.6 points and 6.0 assists in 29 games (25 starts) with the Nets last season following the February trade that sent Spencer Dinwiddie to Toronto.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons is attempting to remain healthy after undergoing another shutdown back surgery in the spring.
He also played some minutes at center in a small-ball alignment in Tuesday’s loss to the Clippers out West due to injuries to Nets big men Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe.
First-year Nets coach Jordi Fernandez expects to take another look at the alignment to start Monday’s game against the Wizards at Barclays Center.
“Right now, it’s gonna happen, yes, in the next game,” Fernandez said. “I’m happy with the way we played as a group. We started with two point guards, and we’re gonna do it again.
“I think that the combinations were fine. Obviously, we struggled rebounding, and it’s something we addressed. Are we smaller? Maybe, yes, but we gotta do a better job finding bodies and hitting bodies and finishing possessions. So far, we’ll stick with it.”
In addition to the two point guards, the Nets starting lineup in the opener also featured Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
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“A few things we can be better at is taking care of the ball, offensively and defensively, rebounding better and getting back in transition,” Fernandez said. “So we watched the film, and I felt pretty good during the game.
“Obviously, still, you want to win every single game and give yourself a chance, and we gave ourselves a chance. The start of the game was rocky. They made tough shots, but our guys kept doing the right things. And it was a fun game to watch.”
Fernandez added that Claxton is “doing a good job going through the process to be back” from his hamstring issue in time for the regular-season opener Oct. 23 in Atlanta.
“We’re still aiming [for the] first game of the season,” Fernandez said. “Will he play the next couple of games? I don’t know, but he’s doing good.”
Sharpe is still expected to be sidelined multiple weeks, as is former Knicks wing Bojan Bogdanovic, who is recovering from wrist and foot injuries.
