Brooklyn Nets: 5 biggest disappointments from 2017-18 NBA season

BOSTON - APRIL 11: Brooklyn Nets' head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the second quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on April 11, 2018. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images /

5. The injury bug

Yes, every team has a loaded injury report throughout the NBA season. It’s an 82-game grind over six months; how can the IR not get clogged?

Unfortunately, it hit the Nets harder than most.

Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell, the starting guards on opening night, both took falls quite early in the season. This forced the team to turn toÂ Spencer Dinwiddie, a former castaway, and Isaiah Whitehead, a mid-second round pick.

With replacements running the offense, it became much more difficult for Atkinson to implement the system he envisioned. This resulted in a lot fewer wins during the early part of the season.

A positive outcome was the development of Dinwiddie, which will be extremely valuable no matter what they do with him down the line. Unfortunately, it was also one of many reasons that immediate success came sparingly.

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