Brooklyn Nets: Star power lands as Nets look to rise in 2019-20

Best-case scenario

In the most ideal case, the Brooklyn Nets climb in a depleted East on the back of Kyrie Irving’s Most Valuable Player-caliber season. Caris LeVert stays healthy and complements Irving as the second star and earns the All-Star berth he was on pace for prior to that foot injury last November.

Irving embraces the Nets’ culture, creating a free-flowing environment where he truly hones in on his superstar talent. At any point where the Nets need a bucket, either he or LeVert executes with excellence.

Taurean Prince proves last season’s deficiencies were a fluke by becoming a quality two-way wing, and Joe Harris maintains elite 3-point shooting clip. Jarrett Allen grows into his body, learning how to be more physical and stand his ground thanks to DeAndre Jordan.

Dinwiddie fights for Sixth Man of the Year honors once again, Kurucs becomes a mainstay in the rotation and one or two of the end-of-bench youngsters pop.

Kevin Durant returns in March, with just enough time left in the season to grow back into some iteration of the Slim Reaper he once was. He fits in seamlessly as a supercharged version of Prince, gradually growing from a complement to a featured option and third star by playoff time

If enough of those factors go Brooklyn’s way, there’s a legitimate case for them to be dangerous in the East.

Worst-case scenario

We’ve already seen what a doomsday scenario looks like when Irving makes a fuss. He’s good enough to win Brooklyn games, but ultimately the Nets’ system and overall feel are better with him off the court.

LeVert only stays healthy in spurts, and when he does, he and Irving don’t complement each other. The offense looks disjointed when Irving dominates the ball, and the flow of the offense is compromised.

Irving’s buddies Durant and Jordan verbalize their gripes, impatient with the progress the youngsters are (or aren’t making). The top-tier culture that Sean Marks and his gang worked so hard to build gets poisoned by the breadwinners.

Durant has a setback in his rehab, and might not be ready to start the 2020-21 season either.

The Nets win 45 games because of their aggregate talent, but in spite of the disjointed locker room. In the lowly East that might just be good enough to win a playoff series with the right matchup, but they ultimately get squashed no later than round two.