Nets center Brook Lopez admits he's concerned with recent struggles

Brook Lopez admitted he is at least somewhat concerned about his recent struggles, which have lasted for five games.

Lopez, in his third year, has a career field-goal percentage of .505 but is shooting .381 from the floor this season. Over the last five games, he has hit just 21-of-73 shots (28.8 percent).

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t, a little (concerned),” Lopez said after his foul-plagued, four-point, six-rebound performance in Wednesday’s road victory over the Cavaliers. “But I’ve been working before games, getting shots up (and) in practice, obviously. I’ll look to get shots up tomorrow. And just, continue to fight through it. I feel like most of the shots I take are my normal, typical shots. They just haven’t gone down.”

Nets coach Avery Johnson insisted he is not concerned about Lopez’s struggles, but admitted he left his 7-0, 265-pound co-captain on the bench late in the game because the duo of Kris Humphries and rookie Derrick Favors was playing too well.

“I thought it was pretty hot,” Johnson said of his down-the-stretch lineup, which had Humphries, Favors and guards Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow and Jordan Farmar.
“That’s one of the things I like to do — I like to play the team that’s clicking. I’m aware of we had a guy on the bench that was our starting center, but the best decision for the team, and giving our team the best chance to win (Wednesday), it was those five guys out there on the floor.”