Lionel Hollins isn't worried about Nets' mounting injuries

Lionel Hollins isn't getting worked up over the Nets' lingering injury issues.

Five players remain on the injury report, likely leaving them out of action for Saturday's preseason matchup against the 76ers at Times Union Center in Albany. Headlining that group is Andrea Bargnani, who hasn't practiced all week and missed both preseason games with a tight left hamstring.

Bojan Bogdanovic (sore right ankle) and Thomas Robinson (right wrist sprain) continue to be sidelined, but at least Willie Reed (right quad strain) was able to get some work in, albeit in a limited capacity. Markel Brown is out for the preseason with a left oblique strain suffered at training camp at Duke last week.

Still, the Nets coach isn't worried.

"No, I don't have any concerns," Hollins said Friday. "We have a group of guys that are going out there playing. Those guys that are not out there, the longer they wait, the harder it is for them to [climb back up the depth chart]. So I don't worry about that."

Though the missed repetitions and chance to jell with teammates isn't a good thing, it's giving Hollins a good peek at a few of the younger players. That was the case in Thursday's 93-83 preseason win over the Pistons, when he rested Jarrett Jack and Joe Johnson.

"It is what it is," Hollins said. "I don't know how long it [will be]. Some guys are close and some guys have gone through partial practice and they are still not ready to play. It's going to be all [season] we have those kind of issues. You've just got to take the guys that you have. And as I told them [Thursday] night, I said, 'All you guys here, this is your opportunity. Next man up.' "

Instant results

Shane Larkin had a little chat with Hollins after Monday's preseason opener against Fenerbahce Ulker and the early returns were promising. Starting for Jack on Thursday, Larkin had 17 points and five assists. He hit 6 of 12 shots from the floor, including 2-for-2 from beyond the three-point arc.

Hollins knows the pick-and-roll is a big part of Larkin's game and he instructed him to be more aggressive in his approach, which also led to an improved synergy between Larkin and Brook Lopez.

"Brook, he's so big," Larkin said. "Just 7-1 like a big wall. So he's going to clip your man somehow, some way. And if you bring your man off one way, he fights over it. Then you bring it back the other way, he's going to clip him, and then either his man has got to step up and he's going to be open on a pocket pass or his man is going to sit back and he's got the midrange jump shot."

"[Thursday] night, [Andre] Drummond kept sitting and he didn't want to respect the midrange jump shot. So I just kept shooting it."

Comic Brook

Heading out to New York Comic Con? Don't expect to see Lopez.

The Nets' resident comic book expert and avid lover of all things Batman and Green Lantern, said he won't be able to make it to the four-day event that concludes Sunday at Javits Center. Lopez had his passes all squared away and everything, making sure his agent reserved them in advance since the event is typically sold out. But there's one small problem: the Nets play the 76ers.

As if that wasn't tough enough to deal with, Lopez's twin brother, Robin -- who plays for the Knicks -- is free to attend because his team doesn't have a game.

"I was trying to plan a weekend, too," Lopez said. "Robin is going. I'm pretty left out. I can't lie. I'm fairly bitter."