To Win Now, Nets Take Time to Learn What Works Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Nets Coach Jason Kidd has been careful not to give his players too many minutes. Jason Kidd is taking the long view on the Nets" supposed short window. Teams with rosters as old and expensive as the Nets" $103.1 million collection of battle-tested veterans are often said to be in "win now" mode. But for the Nets, who dropped to 2-5 with Saturday night's 102-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers, "now" does not refer as much to this moment as it does to spring 2014. The lack of urgency is evident in how little the Nets stars have played. Last season, four Nets averaged more than 30 minutes per game, with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson averaging more than 36 a night. So far this season, only Brook Lopez is averaging 30.1 minutes per game; everyone else is playing fewer than 30. No other team in the league has such an even distribution of minutes, which may explain the Nets" disappointing start. It is a simple thing, but winning is difficult when your best players cannot play a lot of minutes. Kidd's minute-limiting logic is clear, though. Kevin Garnett is 37, Paul Pierce is 36 and Deron Williams is still recovering from an ankle injury. Kidd, a Knick last season, knows firsthand the value of regular season rest. But the Nets have started ramping up the workload for their formidable starting crew. On Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, the last undefeated team in the N.B.A., four Nets played more than 32 minutes in an intense, physical contest that came down to a few possessions in the fourth quarter. Given Williams" absence through the training camp and the preseason, it is no surprise that the Nets" offensive chemistry has been a matter of experiment. Against the Pacers, as has been the case throughout the season, the Nets rarely generated more than a couple of passes on each offensive possession. The attack has been deliberate, with the ball often staying on one side of the court as the Nets work through a simple play. This style has led to a significant drop in 3-point attempts each game. Although Williams, who led the team in 3-point attempts last season, has played limited minutes, 3-pointers also come when rapid ball movement keeps the defense scrambling. Kidd and Williams opened the playbook more in the fourth quarter Saturday, revealing some of the clever actions possible with this versatile and skilled roster. One especially effective play had Lopez and Pierce setting a double high screen for Williams. Corralling Williams without losing a huge roll man like Lopez or a shooter like Pierce stretched even the league-leading Pacers" defense beyond the breaking point. The Nets got two fourth-quarter layups using the play. Such moments nourish hope for the Nets, even as they made a number of costly mental errors in the fourth quarter. Lopez's also play raises expectations. The only Net who is just now entering his prime, he is one of the NBA's most effective post players. Lopez benefits from better passers this season, but he is still learning how to work with Garnett on defensive. There are moments in each game when Garnett seems to think Lopez will be in a different position to help, and the Nets then give up an easy basket. Optimists believe those slip-ups will be eliminated by the time the playoffs arrive. One positive has been the play of the bench, notably Andrei Kirilenko, the backup point guard Shaun Livingston and the scrappy rookie Mason Plumlee. The Nets will need that depth when one of their older or injury-prone players is out for a stretch of the regular season. Beneath the updated look, the Nets will only go as far as Williams can guide them. For the Nets to capitalize on all the new shooting and skill on the roster, Williams needs to have that killer burst, the special verve of a point guard with complete control of the offense. He needs to blow past his defender in transition and be the high-energy engine of the squad. It may take more than a week or two for him to find his form. So it is too early to judge the Nets. Not only have we yet to see much of the team that will be on the floor at the end of the year, the Nets are still figuring out what works and how to replicate it. The older Boston teams of Garnett and Pierce were notoriously slow starters. They began the 2011-12 season losing nine of their first 14 games before coming within a quarter of the NBA Finals. After Saturday's game, Garnett was philosophical about the future. I don't think you put a timetable on something that you're trying to get perfection. You're trying to cut down on mistakes, and you're trying to form chemistry, and you're trying to be consistent with that. The Nets know winning now is less important than building to a peak sometime in May 2014. But that does not change how a tough loss feels in November. "It is frustrating," Garnett said.