Lopez was limited to 21 minutes in Wednesday's 122-117 loss to the Celtics, producing seven points (1-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT) and five rebounds during his time on the court.

EDGE Analysis

Lopez was believed to be the only sacred cow on a Nets roster lacking in all-around talent, but first-year coach Kenny Atkinson didn't hesitate to turn over the game to his bench when the starting lineup struggled in the first half against the Celtics. The center ended up logging the lowest minute total of any of the Nets' five starters, with Justin Hamilton (19 points, 10 rebounds in 25 minutes) stepping up to provide better production at the position. It's not expected that Lopez will see this sort of precipitous decline in minutes over the course of the regular season, but Atkinson's rotation patterns could very well deviate wildly game to game depending on the matchup. As a result, Lopez could see more time on the bench in contests that feature more mobile, floor-stretching centers like the Celtics' Al Horford.