Brooklyn Nets: 5 keys to making the 2019 NBA Playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets have taken charge in a depleted Eastern Conference. Here’s how they hold onto a playoff spot in a feel-good season.

It might not seem crazy now, but the Brooklyn Nets occupying a playoff spot is one of the surprises of the young NBA season in 2018-19. Coming off a 28-54 season, internal growth was expected in increments.

It started off with Caris LeVert torching the league for a good month, keeping the Nets afloat for 13 and a half games while the role players carved out their niches. He took the lead role as a scorer and distributor en route to averaging 18.4 points a game.

Then the injury happened. LeVert dislocated his foot in gruesome fashion on Nov. 12, and suddenly the scoring hierarchy was unstable. Following LeVert’s departure, the Nets lost 10 of their next 12 games, and there was suddenly legitimate reasoning for them to tank.

Screw that, said D’Angelo Russell. After missing most of the 2017-18 season with a knee problem, Russell entered the final season of his rookie contract with a ton of question marks, a lot of which he’s answered this season.

After a slow start that thrust DLo into the lead scoring role, he has come into his own in Brooklyn. Since Dec. 7, Russell is averaging 19.1 points and 7.1 assists per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field, 37.0 percent from 3-point land, and 96.4 percent (not a typo) from the free throw line.

All the Nets needed was an alpha dog, and DLo has taken charge. The supporting cast has been excellent so far as well, buoyed by the emergence of rookie sensation Rodions Kurucs.

Kurucs has been just what the doctor ordered for Brooklyn, as he does everything a Kenny Atkinson wing needs to: shoot with intelligence, defend capably, attack when he sees an opening and avoid mid-range jumpers.

Oh, and there’s that guy Spencer Dinwiddie too. He begins games on the bench, but often plays in crunch-time next to DLo now, as the two have finally figured out how to coexist. It’s a beautiful sight, especially with Dinwiddie’s contract extension kicking in next season.

People knew the Nets would be competent this season, but the questions over who their No. 1 option was were indeed legitimate. That part seems to be figured out, and Brooklyn has taken legitimate strides to stay in the playoff hunt.

Currently situated at 23-23, the Nets occupy the 6-seed in the East. They are unlikely to crash the party happening between the top five teams in the conference, but what they’ve done up to this point is nothing short of impressive.

Now they’re on the map, and probably can’t sneak out wins by simply outworking more talented teams. They’ll have to stick to what got them here.