Rodions Kurucs giving Nets no reason to change starting lineup

Has Allen Crabbe been Wally Pipped?

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson expects Crabbe back after Christmas; he just wouldn’t promise the injured wing would be back in the starting lineup. Rodions Kurucs has been a revelation in his absence, with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s 111-103 win over the Suns for his first career double-double.

“[Kurucs] is making it hard. That’s not going to be an easy decision. I will say we’ll look at it hard,” Atkinson said. “I like that defensive versatility and that size. He keeps playing like this, it’s going to be tough to take him out.”

Crabbe (sore right knee) missed a sixth straight game. But with Kurucs exceeding all expectations, Atkinson could keep the Latvian rookie in the lineup.

“I expect after Christmas he should be ready. He’s coming along,” Atkinson said of Crabbe, who could return Wednesday against the Hornets despite the Nets not having another practice until Thursday. They play in Charlotte on Friday.

“That’s a pleasant problem to have. We’ll see where Allen [is]. Allen is getting closer. So I don’t have to make that decision yet,” Atkinson said. “One thing Rodi gives us, he gives us a legitimate 6-9 guy.

“Nothing against Allen, but him and Joe [Harris] are more in the two-guard mold. … Rodi does give us more defensive versatility, and a different type of player than Joe. He’s not just a catch-and-shoot guy; He’s a slasher, he’s a runner. So we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s a nice problem to have.”

Kurucs used that length to bother Devin Booker on Sunday.

“We put Rodions on Booker. This guy was playing on Barcelona last year in Europe, 20 years old. I’m really excited about his defensive potential,” Atkinson said. “He did some good things out there, his length and athleticism and, quite honestly, how hard he plays.”

Kurucs has scored in double figures in five of his past seven games, averaging 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. It’s sweet for a player who had been punished by Barcelona last season for not signing an extension and limited to just 44 minutes with the first team.

“I’m just playing basketball. I was hungry. I didn’t play for years; Now I’m enjoying it,” Kurucs said. “I think also the thing I wasn’t playing in Barcelona it helped me mentally to prepare myself to be together, work harder and someday come back, I just kept working on my game and that’s it.”

Atkinson declined comment on the $25,000 fine he got for Friday’s on-court blowout, but minority owner Joe Tsai backed his coach.

“Great teaching moment from Coach Atkinson: don’t worry about the refs, focus on defense, do the little things to get better for the next game,” Tsai tweeted.

The Nets gave Michelle Obama a No. 44 jersey, tweeting: “We know she’s from Chicago, but @MichelleObama’s book tour made two stops at @barclayscenter this month, so we had to hook her up.”

The former first lady made two stops to Barclays Center promoting her best-selling book “Becoming.”