Brooklyn Nets: All eyes are on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant heading into 2020-21

All eyes will be on the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21

It’s the beginning of a huge year for the Brooklyn Nets. Just over 17 months removed from the signings of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the team’s dynamic duo is slated to finally take the court together when the Nets host the Golden State Warriors for their season opener on December 22.

There’s no doubt the Nets might be the most hyped team in the league heading into 2020-21, mainly due to the anticipation of Kyrie and KD finally playing together. But what doesn’t get talked about is the ridiculous depth the Nets have put together.

The Nets made several moves during the offseason gearing up for a year with their healthy stars. Dzanan Musa was traded to Detroit in exchange for 3-and-D guard Bruce Brown. Joe Harris, Tyler Johnson, and Chris Chiozza were all also re-signed to add some depth to the bench. They also added veteran wing Jeff Green and Mississippi State big man Reggie Perry in the late second round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

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The players under guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season goes as follows:

Point Guards: Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tyler Johnson
Shooting Guards: Caris LeVert, Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown, Jeremiah Martin (2-way)
Small Forwards: Kevin Durant, Taurean Prince, Joe Harris, Jeff Green, Rodions Kurucs, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Power Forwards: Nicolas Claxton, Reggie Perry
Centers: Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Jordan

With 16 men under contract and only one on a two-way deal, the Nets will need to cut one of the above players and add another two-way contract before the December 18 deadline. Along with these 17 guys, Chris Chiozza and undrafted rookies Jordan Bowden and Nate Sestina were added on Exhibit 10 contracts, meaning they will more than likely be cut and sign with the Long Island Nets in the G-League.

Chris Chiozza’s contract is non-guaranteed and with how well he played in the bubble this past season, he can be a likely candidate to receive the other two-way contract alongside Jeremiah Martin. If not Chiozza, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, or Reggie Perry could be options to get converted into a two-way contract. Either way, the Nets are going to have to trim one guy off their 15-man roster after training camp.

As far as the starting lineup goes, I think all but one spot is certain. Kyrie will obviously start at the 1, with LeVert at the 2, Durant at the 3, and Allen at the 5, but the 4 can go a few ways. I don’t think Joe Harris will start as they’ll probably elect for a defensive 4 to match up with Durant and Kyrie. I think Taurean Prince will most likely start at the 4, bringing great defense alongside a scoring trio of Kyrie, Durant, and LeVert.

The depth on the bench will be insane, with Dinwiddie, Harris, Jordan, Shamet, and Bruce Brown all aiding the second unit. One big dark horse though on the bench is Nicolas Claxton, the second-year big man out of Georgia who improved a lot as the season went on last year. Claxton has begun training camp sidelined due to an injury that also kept him out of the NBA restart this past season. When he returns, he can be a great bench piece in the frontcourt giving Jordan and Allen some breathers.

If everything goes well in Brooklyn there’s no doubt the Nets can finish as possibly the best team in the East, competing with the Bucks for the top spot. My prediction is that they’ll finish in third place in the East, winning the Atlantic division at 45-27 in a narrow battle with the Raptors and 76ers.

It’s all going to come down to durability with Brooklyn this year, if they are healthy they’ll clearly be a force. But if the injury bug attacks there might be an unexpected fall off with a handful of injury-prone stars.