Nets' Michael Porter Jr. among 3 starters out Thursday vs. Rockets

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets are coming off their best month of the season as they took a significant step on the defensive end of the floor compared to the beginning of the year. Heading into Thursday's matchup against the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn will be missing three starters, including forward Michael Porter Jr., but head coach Jordi Fernandez is focused on the players that are available.

"It’s not about replacing them because they all do very special things. It’s about a next-man-up mentality and do it by committee. I think our group has always done a great job with that," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez prior to Thursday's matchup against the Rockets. Not only is Porter out of the starting lineup on Thursday due to an illness, but rookie Egor Demin (back) and Terance Mann (hip) are out as well.

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"There’s a great opportunity for guys that haven’t had the chance to be on the court and some others that had different roles," Fernandez continued. "We’re playing against a very good team and we’re gonna need for sure everybody to have a good performance and bring positive things to the game to be able to compete for this one."

Thursday's game against Houston will be a test of the depth on Brooklyn's roster, especially since someone like guard Cam Thomas has been coming off the bench for the past two games since coming back from injury. However, he began this season as the starting shooting guard so it seems like he could resume that role, along with the potential that rookie Nolan Traore and forward Tyrese Martin are inserted into the starting lineup.

Fernandez did not reveal during his pregame press conference how he's going to make up for the losses of Porter, Demin, and Mann aside from the general mention of the players that normally come off the bench. Either way, plenty of players towards the back end of the roster will see minutes on Thursday against the Rockets so the hope is that those guys are ready to go against Kevin Durant and company.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Michael Porter Jr. among 3 starters out Thursday vs. Rockets