The Brooklyn Nets gave the NBA a taste of the dominance that was at their fingertips last season after trading for James Harden, but they just didn’t get enough time to play together as a healthy unit. Between Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, too much time was missed as a collective to truly flex on the league in the way they hoped.
Of course, they were next to untouchable when the trio was on the floor together in 690 possessions, outscoring their opponents by 14.2 points per 100 possessions. With the fortune of good health, they may get a full season to show what they can do (although Durant will probably get a sizable dose of games off for rest purposes).
The Brooklyn Nets came up just short in the second round last season, but the outlook is bright in 2021-22. How high can they fly next season?
Kevin Durant was a one-man army in the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks. Kyrie Irving suffered a sprained ankle in a Game 4 loss, forcing James Harden to make a risky early return of his own on a strained hamstring in Game 5.
Harden tried his damnedest, even playing all 53 minutes in Game 7, but he wasn’t nearly himself. Durant, on the other hand, was everything the Nets could ask for and more. In that Game 7, he scored 53 points and averaged 35.4 points per game in the series but the Nets fell just short in the end against the eventual NBA champions.
So with the past in the past and the future bright, here’s our prediction for the Nets’ record next season:
Brooklyn Nets 2021-22 record: 55-27
Eastern Conference standings finish: 1st
The Nets are without parallel from a talent perspective, and they’ve done great work to shore up their depth in the free agency and buyout markets. Additions like Blake Griffin, Patty Mills and Paul Millsap have all been absolute steals for a team that was thin around the margins after trading for James Harden in January.
Top-end talent is what wins championships in the NBA, though, and the Nets have that in spades. Their Big 3 of Durant, Harden and Irving averaged a whopping 78.4 points per game last season, and that’s quite simply an embarrassment of offensive riches for this team. It’s almost impossible to shut all three of them down, and when they stagger Harden or Irving to the bench lineup things get even more unfair.
Good luck stopping these guys when they’re healthy.
With all of this in mind, how far can the Brooklyn Nets go in the NBA playoffs?
Win NBA Finals 4-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant has fared exceptionally well against LeBron James in their last two NBA Finals matchups, and next season should be no different. The Nets are simply too talented for any team in this league to stop, even if James does have Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook’s help in the Finals.
This season should make up for the disappointment of last season when they were a mere shoe size away from beating the Bucks and almost certainly going on to win the NBA championship themselves. Margins were thin last year even when Durant was a superstar on an island, so expect next season to provide them with more room for error.
The Brooklyn Nets are just that good.