It seems like being on a crummy team like the Nets has had an effect on Trevor Booker. No longer content to be the guy who only takes smart shots that he can make, he is happily advancing the ball up the court himself and performing a wide variety of janky moves to get the shots that he wants. His athleticism is not just a tool for dunking anymore; he is using his quickness and strength to play bully ball with defenders who don’t understand why he’s being so aggressive. If the team isn’t going to win you might as well have fun, right?
Part of it probably has to do with the Nets’ extremely dire point guard situation at the moment. Jeremy Lin has been out for a while after he overgelled his ponytail and it fell off. That Whitehead guy came out of this game with a wrist injury of some sort. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who had been auditioning for the point-forward role, also went out after he blew up his ankle or something. That leaves Sean Kilpatrick to be the main ball-handler, but all he wants to do is shoot. Why not let Booker-T have a shot at doing all that fun dribbling and passing?