One day before the Long Island Nets season opens vs. the Westchester Knicks, Brooklyn has assigned Rodions Kurucs to their G League club.
The Nets didn’t provide any further information, but there are a number of rationales behind the move.
—Brooklyn may want Kurcus, who’s missed four NBA games due to a sprained ankle, to get some practice time with Long Island Friday — a Nets game day when they don’t normally practice. Kurucs was upgraded to “probable” for Friday’s game with the Rockets after going 5-on-5 for the first time in more than a week.
—Brooklyn may simply want to see Kurucs get some extended playing time Saturday vs Westchester and want him to practice with his Long Island teammates.
—Or both. There’s nothing in NBA or G League rules to stop the parent club from sending a roster player to the G League in the morning, then bringing him back for an NBA game in the evening before sending him back down for a G League contest the next day. In fact, a number of G League players have played in both G League and NBA games the same day.
There’s no limit on the number of times a roster play can be sent down and back ... but each time, even if only for a practice, a player is assigned or re-assigned, it qualifies as a transaction and must be reported.
In three games before he was hurt, the 6’10” Kurucs averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 40 percent (4-of-10) from deep in 14.3 minutes per game. The 20-year-old was the surprise of training camp.
No word on Dzanan Musa, who went back and forth earlier in the week.