Brooklyn Nets: Ranking all 5 starters for the 2021-22 season
By Duncan Smith
Ranking the Brooklyn Nets starters: 2. James Harden
Kevin Durant is in the top tier of NBA players, but James Harden is just outside that tier at worst. He’s an elite scorer and playmaker, and his defense isn’t nearly as bad as advertised when he’s fully engaged. In fact, he’s downright decent when defending on the ball, in the post and in isolation.
Harden’s scoring and ability to generate offense are his hallmarks, as is his ability to stay healthy in spite of the massive load he carries year after year. He did suffer a major hamstring injury that he tried to play through in the NBA playoffs, and he was lucky not to make it worse or cause lasting damage. Assuming a bounceback health season in 2021-22, Harden’s iron-man credentials will fill in the gaps when Durant misses time.
Ranking the Brooklyn Nets starters: 3. Kyrie Irving
It’s hard for anything Kyrie Irving does to be quiet, but he’s coming off one of the quietest spectacular offensive seasons we’ve seen in recent history. He scored 26.9 points per game, the second-highest average in his career, and he did so while shooting 56.1 percent from 2-point range, 40.2 percent from 3 and 92.2 percent from the free-throw line.
He found a way to function at an elite level with the shifting sands of Durant missing time, having to fit with James Harden all of a sudden and a newly-constructed roster. Irving deserves plenty of credit for his accomplishments in a supremely challenging season.