The Brooklyn Nets are losers of five of their last seven games. Steve Nash has tried a number of different lineup combinations and rotations consisting of rookies and veterans, but he has yet to find reliable contributors outside of The Big 3, Patty Mills, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
James Johnson and DeAndre’ Bembry have started often and have been solid in their limited roles, however Durant and Harden have found a difficult time creating offense with multiple non-shooters on the court. The emergence of Nicolas Claxton has provided a massive boost to the Nets frontcourt with his defensive versatility and improving offensive game but, three months into the season, Nets fans are left hoping for more from their team that opened the season as championship favorites. So, is it time for Nets fans to panic yet?
No. While the Nets have struggled of late, which is especially disappointing considering the recent return of Kyrie Irving for home games, it still is only January. Brooklyn has three months before the playoffs start to figure out the mix of youth/experience and shooting/defense that suits their rotation best. While not a guarantee by any means, the Nets still hold out hope that Irving is able to play on a full-time basis at some point. Whether it is through a vaccination or a change in New York City requirements, the possibility exists that the electrifying point guard could play at Barclays Center before the season ends. Obviously though, the organizations and fans cannot count on that for the season to turn around. So what else is going to change?
The return of Joe Harris will help immensely in spacing the floor, forcing opponents to respect his threat as a 3-point shooter, opening up opportunities for Durant, Harden, and Irving. Since Harris went down in mid-November, KD’s 3pt percentage has dropped from 52.2% to 31%, Harden’s has dropped from 42.7% to 27.7%, and Mills’ has dropped from 50% to 41%, and they have gone from 1st to 28th shooting as a team.
No matter how much Harris underperformed in the playoffs last season, he has shown to be invaluable to the success of the remainder of the roster.
The return of Harris combined with the $11.3M trade player exception acquired in the Spencer Dinwiddie sign-and-trade should give Nets fans comfort that the team they are watching now will not be the same one come playoff time. Roster additions and the emergence of rookies Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, and David Duke Jr. will ensure the Nets are still a dominant force in the postseason that should have no problem disposing of a deep, but not star-studded Eastern Conference.
For more NBA coverage, click here.
