Exploring three reasons why the Brooklyn Nets must now be considered the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Through the first handful of games this season, the Brooklyn Nets were a team surrounded by questions, doubt, and hesitance. However, at nearly the midway point of the regular season, the Nets have rounded into form and are looking more and more like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Since their 2-6 start to the season, the Nets have slowly evolved into a legit contender and, perhaps, the favorite in the East. If you take the first eight games and throw them out, the Nets are 24-7. During that span, it’s the best record in the NBA. Also during that span, the Nets have the third-best offensive rating, fourth-best defensive rating, and second-best net rating in the league.
The Brooklyn Nets have quieted the doubters
For a team that entered the season with plenty of doubt, the Nets have managed to quickly turn the narrative around. Brooklyn is no longer a dark horse. The warnings have been sent out. This is one of the, if not the, best teams in the league.
As the Nets continued to cruise (and they’re currently on a 12-game winning streak), let’s explore three reasons why this is a team more should be believing in.
The Brooklyn Nets’ defense appears for real
In the two years that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been healthy for the Brooklyn Nets, there has been one constant with this team – their elite offense. During the 2020-21 season when the Nets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks by a toe, Brooklyn’s defense was viewed as the team’s Achilles heel.
Last season they were a mess on that end of the floor too. However, this season, even if you consider the disaster that was the team’s first eight games, the Nets have a top-10 defensive unit. That’s not something KD and Kyrie have ever had during their time in Brooklyn. During their 24-7 run, they’ve been even better.
If – and this is a big “if” – their defense is as real as it would appear so far this season, there’s no question that is something that could push this team over the top. With Kyrie and KD, the offense is always a given. If this dynamic duo finally has a consistent defense, watch out.
The Ben Simmons effect
For as close as the Nets were two years ago to possibly winning a championship, this is a team that has never had a third star such as Ben Simmons. You can point to James Harden but he’s not nearly the defensive weapon that Simmons is. And that arguably makes him more valuable than a player like Harden for KD and Kyrie.
Simmons may not be the offensive player that he was during his prime in Philadelphia but he’s still one of the best defenders in the league (when he wants to be). And with the Nets, next to KD and Kyrie, that’s all he needs to be to be truly impactful.
Simmons can be a true difference-maker defensively, and just be the dynamic playmaker on the offensive end without ever looking at the basket. Even if the Nets just get that with Simmons, they’ll take it. And recently, he’s looked more and more comfortable on the offensive end. That’s just icing on the cake.
The KD and Kyrie intangibles
Superstars rule the NBA and to win a championship, you need to have one that can take over a game (or a playoff series) on any given night. What you have to love about the Brooklyn Nets the most is that this is not a team that has one of those superstars, but they have two of them.
Out of all the top contenders in the league right now, I’m not sure there’s a team out there with a better 1-2 punch than Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They are two players that, when healthy, can absolutely dominate a seven-game series.
And if they have the proper supporting cast, this is absolutely a team you do not want to see in the playoffs. And with the way this team has played, they’re a team that no one is going to want to see (if they can remain healthy) in June.
There’s still plenty of season remaining. But the Brooklyn Nets are no longer a question mark. They’re the real deal. This is a team that is looking more and more like they should be the favorite to win the East. And possibly the whole thing.