How will middling Nets match up with upstart 76ers?

The Nets were supposed to be the new monster in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, but after a 4-4 start with stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they're barely in playoff position at No. 8. It’s the 76ers, featuring stars Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, who arrived at Barclays Center Thursday night, that came in with an NBA-best 7-1 record.

"Obviously, they’ve made some adjustments," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "They have some shooters around Joel and Ben, and obviously, we know how talented those two are. I think they’re shooting the ball extremely well. They can create space for those two guys, and so I think that’s made a big difference from last year’s team."

The major addition by the 76ers so far is seven-year veteran shooting guard Seth Curry, who is averaging 17 points per game on 60.3% shooting, including a phenomenal 59.5% from three-point range. In addition, Long Island native Harris is averaging 19.3 points per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 54.7% from three-point range. So the Nets figured to have trouble defending the three-point line while also trying to guard against Embiid and Simmons at the rim.

In recent years, many critics wondered if it would be good to break up the Embiid-Simmons combination, but new coach Doc Rivers has them performing well together. "Very good team," Nets forward Taurean Prince said. "They’ve been together for some years now, so very experienced together. Super well-coached. Just ready to put what we’re doing as far as schemes into action."

Nash totally revamped his starting lineup before the Nets scored a 34-point blowout win over the Jazz on Tuesday. Kevin Durant missed that game because of health and safety protocols after he was exposed to a person outside the organization who has COVID-19, and he also was ruled out against the 76ers. The only regular starter is point guard Kyrie Irving, who teamed with four new starters, including center Jarrett Allen, power forward Jeff Green, small forward Prince and shooting guard Bruce Brown against Utah.

"It really wasn’t any master plan as much as it was just experimenting," Nash said. "We were missing Kevin and we had a rough stretch [losing four of the five previous games], and how can we lean deeper into our roster and take a look at different guys, give guys opportunity and mix and match the lineups and see how people play together and see how much energy we can get. We needed a shot in the arm so to speak."

Following a walk-through practice on Wednesday, Nash said "it’s possible" he will stick with the same starting lineup against the 76ers, but he declined to commit to it. But the fact that he moved shooters Joe Harris and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the second unit along with center DeAndre Jordan to team with point guard Caris LeVert created a powerful bench that outscored the Jazz bench 66-33.

Asked about the familiarity he has with Harris and TLC, LeVert said, "I’m definitely very comfortable playing with Joe and TLC. I’ve put in a lot of chemistry and time with those guys. We kind of have that natural synergy out there on the court, and I think it showed."

Nash agreed with the impact his lineup change made on the bench and especially for LeVert, who scored 24 points and had five assists. "I think it was great for Caris," Nash said. "He got on a roll offensively, but I was more impressed and proud of him making plays for his teammates. He made some great little passes and reads. I love it when he finds the balance between scoring and setting up his teammates."

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.