2. The Brooklyn Nets are clicking
The Brooklyn Nets have been exceptional to start the season, and it has been the result of much more than just the star power of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The duo has been playing as well as Nets fans imagined when they joined the team last offseason. Brooklyn had to wait an entire season to see the two take the floor together, and the results so far have been more than promising.
Irving is picking up where he left off last season after missing most of the year with a shoulder injury. He is averaging an efficient 29 points and six assists on an absurd true shooting percentage of 76 percent. Post-Achilles tear Kevin Durant is playing exactly like the “Easy Money Sniper” fans are accustomed to, averaging nearly 27 points while shooting and dunking over any and everyone with ease.
Of course, everyone knew the Irving/Durant duo would be nigh unstoppable offensively, but the Nets are proving to be elite in other regards as well. Despite not playing much together yet, the team’s ball movement under head coach Steve Nash has been impressive. Other Nets, like Joe Harris, have been beneficiaries of the attention that Durant and Irving draw. Caris LeVert, who showed superstar flashes throughout last season, has the keys to the bench unit and has been leading it well.
They’ve also been engaged on the defensive end, with Durant often leading the way. They tend to have a rim protector, DeAndre Jordan or Jarrett Allen, on the floor at all times. The team’s defense stifled the Warriors on opening night and kept the Celtics out of the game throughout most of the Christmas day matchup.
Sunday night, though, the Nets faced some adversity. Starting shooting guard Spencer Dinwiddie left the game against the Charlotte Hornets early with a knee injury. The Nets weren’t able to overcome a solid Hornets team effort, led by Gordon Hayward’s 28 points and seven assists, and took their first loss of the season. Monday morning, Dinwiddie was announced to have suffered a partial ACL tear.
Dinwiddie is expected to make full recovery before next season. Tough loss for Nets; Dinwiddie emerged as a starter alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. With $12.3M player option in offseason, Dinwiddie has multiple choices being among the top free agents on the market. https://t.co/NDl7H6fP1J
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 28, 2020
Another positive of the Nets season so far has been their depth, and that depth will now be put to the test. Dinwiddie was not only a starter but one of three ball-handlers currently in the rotation. With him likely out for the year, the Nets will need strong contributions from the rest of their squad.