Brooklyn Nets: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season
By Alec Liebsch
1. Russell pushes for the All-Star Game
For the Nets to live up to the aforementioned win total prediction, D’Angelo Russell is the most likely candidate to lead them there. Additionally it becomes a lot easier to swallow a Dinwiddie trade in this scenario. Quite honestly, there are a lot of reasons to believe Russell will take off in 2018-19.
For one thing, he exhibited flashes throughout last season. They were sparse, but Russell was also injured for a huge portion of the season. He never really got back to 100 percent after the knee surgery.
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Before the injury though, Russell was lighting the world on fire. Per 36 minutes in those 12 pre-injury contests, Russell was averaging 27.2 points (!!!), 6.8 assists and 6.1 rebounds. It’s a small sample, but not small enough to write off completely. Simply put, this dude was scorching when last season began.
Those assist numbers might not light up your eyes, but Russell isn’t a pure point guard either. He needs playmaking partners around him, which the Nets have plenty of. Letting Russell attack the defense with shooters and playmakers can make this offense truly hum.
As the centerpiece of a humming offense, Russell is bound to produce. He is the first option as of now, which will certainly spike his scoring totals from last season. If he reaches mid-20s in points per game like he was on pace to do last season, he can very easily make the All-Star Game in the wasteland that is the Eastern Conference.
The guards ahead of him, to lay the context, are as follows: Victor Oladipo, Kyle, Lowry, Kemba Walker, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving and Goran Dragic (for now). Russell will only have to beat three of them to earn a “Wild Card” spot, which is feasible if Lowry takes a step back, the Washington Wizards implode, and Russell outscores Dragic by a significant margin. At least two of those are likely, and the third is heavily dependent on an already toxic locker room.
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The chances of him actually earning a berth to the game are slim, but he can certainly make a case. Just getting in the conversation should put him in the spotlight enough to earn the recognition this team needs.