By Gianluca Colageo Milea
NEW YORK- The Brooklyn Nets made a big splash in free agency this past summer as they signed a formidable “big 3” in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Deandre Jordan.
The news came after the Nets extremely overachieved when they finished the 2018-19 season with a record of 42-40, which was good enough for 6th in the East, and surprised many.
Joe Harris was named 3pt Champion, Caris Levert was able to return from a gruesome leg injury early on in the season and perform at a high level in the playoffs, Jarrett Allen is quickly becoming a respectable starting center, and Spencer Dinwiddie shined throughout much of the year as the team’s 6th man behind All Star point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell was able to cement himself as one of the premier players in the league after a difficult start to his career in LA. D’Angelo is coming off of his best season by far, after averaging 21.1 points and 7 assists. While the Nets will miss the young budding star, they have plenty to look forward to this upcoming year.
Although Kevin Durant will likely miss this season with a ruptured Achilles, Coach Kenny Atkinson is looking to Kyrie Irving to lead Brooklyn’s young core to a successful campaign without bringing the negative media attention that followed him in Boston.
"Don't prejudge. And that's Kyrie, that's DeAndre Jordan, that's everybody. Because these guys, just like me and you, they're imperfect. Like, do we expect a 27-year-old guy to be perfect?” remarked Coach Atkinson.
The Brooklyn Nets will look to improve upon a solid previous season while relying on Kyrie Irving to take them to the next level prior to the return of Durant. While many people may look to the Nets offseason moves and think that the mindset in Brooklyn should be championship or bust, what are realistic expectations?
To begin, Irving is definitely a slight upgrade from the inefficient D’Angelo Russell. While many may argue that Russell’s age (23) and potential are more attractive than Irving’s current prowess the fact of the matter is, Kyrie has proven to be able to be a focal point of a championship team. While there were speed bumps in Boston, Kyrie was still able to put up respectable numbers on talent filled teams.
The signing of Deandre Jordan is one signing that many have overlooked. The Nets added a great complement and veteran leader for the budding Jarrett Allen.
The offseason did not stop there… Brooklyn also added role players such as Garrett Temple, Henry Ellenson, Lance Thomas, and Taurean Prince. The team was also able to bolster their roster through the draft by selecting Nicolas Claxton and Jaylen Hands.
In addition to these signings, the Nets were able to keep much of their young core led by the likes of Caris Levert, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Joe Harris.
Overall this team is filled with talent and should be able to make noise in a weak Eastern Conference. A championship without Kevin Durant may be a stretch; nevertheless the optimism of New York basketball fans is unmatched.
It will be interesting to see how the season plays out, especially with the Bucks and Sixers looking to make it out of the East.
Right now, if KD does miss the entire season and postseason, I would look for the Nets to fall between the 3-6 seed and win a playoff series or two. Once the 2020-21 season approaches along with the return of Durant the Nets will be a championship or bust team for the remaining three years of his contract.
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