Brook Lopez frustrated with early-season struggles

Downtrodden in the aftermath of another yo-yo performance, Brook Lopez sat in front of a corner locker, trying to figure out what's going on with his game.

"I'm just very disappointed in myself," Lopez said Wednesday after the Nets' 112-104 loss to the Suns in Phoenix. "I know I'm a better player than that and there are a lot of chip shots I'm missing. But I've got to keep playing my game, you know?"

Last night represented another opportunity for Lopez to wash away those early-season growing pains he has been experiencing, the chance to get back at it some 24 hours later against the Warriors at Oracle Arena. Lopez's effort against the Suns was brilliant in the first half, when he scored 16 points, hitting 6 of 7 shots. But the second half was a far different story and his fourth-quarter ineffectiveness led to coach Lionel Hollins going with a lineup that included Mirza Teletovic for a good chunk of the quarter before reinserting Lopez late.

Lopez was essentially invisible during those final 24 minutes, going scoreless and missing all six shots. Averaging 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, he is frustrated that he hasn't settled into any kind of consistent flow and his numbers aren't where he believes they should be.

Hollins is more concerned with the big picture surrounding his big man.

"I just want effort, man. Play hard," Hollins said before Thursday night's game. "You'll get your rhythm back if you just go out there and play hard. Take charges, rebound, dive on the floor for loose balls. Everybody is worried about him scoring. I worry about the little things that help us win and that goes with everybody.

"Everybody keeps talking about Brook, Brook, Brook, but in order for us to be a good team we need everyone doing the little things."

Joe Johnson doesn't seem overly worried about Lopez's game.

"It's going to come," Johnson said. "It's going to come with time. Obviously, he is getting into a rhythm, but he's a load down there and we just want him to take advantage of his size."

Even though Lopez may not be on top of his game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows there aren't many players in the league that possess the kind of game employed by the Nets' 7-footer, but Golden State hasn't had to worry about him for a while.

Because of his myriad foot issues the past few seasons, Thursday night's matchup represented only the second time he's played against the Warriors since the 2010-11 season.

"There are very few, traditional low-post big men anymore," Kerr said. "He is one of the better ones. He's got a great touch around the hoop and he takes up a lot of space down there, [has] good footwork. So it's a little different when you play against him. Most bigs it seems are pick-and-pop guys these days, so it's a little different feel."