Andrei Kirilenko opens Nets camp running with starters

Though head coach Lionel Hollins suggested earlier in the week that Joe Johnson would work as the team's small forward this season, he appears set to experiment as Brooklyn Nets camp opens.

If Johnson were to be the team's small forward – something he's perfectly capable of at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds – it would open up the shooting guard position for either Alan Anderson or Bojan Bogdanovic.

The alternative would be to start Johnson at the two, opening up the small forward spot for versatile veteran Andrei Kirilenko. That's what happened when the Nets practiced for the first time on Saturday, as Kirilenko ran with the team's starters. These kind of notes can generally be taken with a grain of salt, as there are any number of reasons for splitting practice groups certain ways, but it's an interesting idea. 

If Kirilenko were to start, the 6-foot-9 Russian would be at the three and Johnson at shooting guard, giving the Nets a massive lineup one through five. Kirilenko spent most of last season as the back-up power forward in the team's "long-ball" look, but he's generally split his time between the forward spots over the past few seasons.

Defensively, he's one of the most versatile players in the game, which might actually be a knock against his candidacy as a starter. In a reserve role, Kirilenko could be leveraged at several positions, allowing Hollins to stagger rest periods for his starting five.

All Kirilenko cares about is a larger role, regardless of when his minutes come, which you can read about in the story below.