#NBA break helped Nets’ Rodions Kurucs find his confidence

And he took advantage of it.

If there was a Net who benefitted from time away — mentally and physically — it was Kurucs. He had been up-and-down before the season was suspended in March, but through three scrimmages — shrugging off a minor hip injury in the last — he’s in a good headspace going into Friday’s game versus Orlando.

“I’m just a huge believer in having confidence, that’s a big part of it. You think these guys are NBA players and they should walk around with confidence. And depending on your situation sometimes that varies,” said interim coach Jacque Vaughn, adding Kurucs’ hip injury wasn’t serious.

“Rodi is playing with an extreme amount of confidence. He can make mistakes, but he’s learning how to move onto the next play. So that’s signs of growth and maturity. It’s allowed him to just use the talents that he has and he’s learning how to use those talents.”

Kurucs’ confidence drives his roller-coaster performances.

In the Nets’ final 14 games before the coronavirus shutdown, Kurucs did not play in six games, was inactive in another and averaged just 1.3 points. He was 0-for-11 from deep, and hadn’t made a 3 since Feb. 5. But in the three scrimmages since, he averaged 13.3 points, five boards and 58.3 percent shooting. Confidence? He’s gotten back to being a defensive irritant and has gone 8-for-12 from deep.

And the 6-foot-9, 228-pounder has done it while having to play backup center. He’s run the floor, spotted up from the top of the arc against sagging centers or run by those who come out.

“It’s just huge for the spacing on the court,” Caris LeVert said. “With Rodi at the 5, it’s a mismatch. He’s got such great speed. And he’s making better decisions as well. We trust him with the ball up top, whether he shoots it or puts it on the ground and makes a play for somebody else. But it just makes the court that much bigger.”

With Jarrett Allen unlikely to log much more than 30 minutes — and newcomer Donta Hall not up to speed yet — Kurucs is likely to spend more time as Allen’s backup.

“He’s done a great job with the transition. We’re asking him for a lot to go from playing a 3-4 to playing the 5,” Allen said. “He’s done a great job incorporating that.He’s been able to roll and put pressure on the rim. And you’ve seen in these couple games, he’s hitting 2.5 3s a game. He’s been able to do both for us, and that’s been crucial.”

With two years and just $3.6 million left on his rookie deal, he’s looked like a Net bargain.