Brooklyn Nets
Current Record: 29-16, Last 10: 6-4
Kevin Durant has been playing like a true MVP candidate this season for the Brooklyn Nets and it is quite remarkable to see him look the same, if not better, than he did before his Achilles injury!
In 36 games this season, Durant has averaged a league-high 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and has shot 52%, once again cementing his legacy as one of the best scorers this league has ever seen. Unfortunately for the 11-time All-Star and the Nets, KD is set to miss a couple of weeks after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee on January 15.
This is the same injury Lakers’ big man Anthony Davis suffered on December 17 and he has yet to return to action in Los Angeles.
With Durant now out, the Brooklyn Nets have been limited in terms of talent that they can turn to for production, especially with Joe Harris still being out due to ankle surgery.
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Obviously having a former MVP in James Harden has helped soften the blow of losing Kevin Durant, but Kyrie Irving is only eligible to play in away games due to him being unvaccinated and the Brooklyn Nets really do not have any other scoring threats on their roster.
Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge have stepped up and been two key veteran scorers for this team, but Brooklyn has been forced to play rookies Kessler Edwards, Day’Ron Sharpe, Cam Thomas and David Duke Jr. in big roles this season.
Expectations for all four rookies were low entering the season, even though Sharpe and Thomas were first-round picks, so once again, the problem with the Brooklyn Nets right now is finding consistent scoring from their secondary talents.
When Kevin Durant returns, this team is clearly a championship contender with Durant, Harden and Irving, regardless of what their bench looks like, but Brooklyn could very well be “buyers” at the trade deadline.
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Not having Irving for home games leaves them a little thin and the Brooklyn Nets do have two trade exceptions of $11.4M and $6.2M that they could use to bring in one or two new impactful scorers.
The Eastern Conference is very strong this season with the Bulls, Bucks and Heat also being championship contenders at the top of the standings, so Brooklyn does have a very small margin for error right now, even though the main reason they are struggling is because Durant is out with a knee injury.
