Just a month ago, the Brooklyn Nets were limping into the All-Star break, desperately trying to figure out a new plan of action while they waited for Kevin Durant to return from his injury.
They were almost forced to trade one of their three stars, James Harden, at the trade deadline, and the guy they got back in return has yet to play for them.
But despite all this, the Nets still have a chance to do something special in the playoffs this year, and that’s because of one man and one man only – Durant.
Kevin Durant could lead the Brooklyn Nets to a championship
With how intense the MVP race between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid has gotten, people seem to forget that Durant was a frontrunner to take home the award at the start of the season.
He’s having an incredible year, and despite missing over a month’s time, Durant hasn’t missed a step. Just Monday night, he put up a Master Class performance to lead the Nets past the red-hot Utah Jazz.
The Slim Reaper dropped 37 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 15-of-23 from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Bruce Brown put up 22 to help him out, but without Kyrie Irving, it was essentially Durant vs. the world.
And that’s essentially what it will have to be for the rest of the season. It’s looking like the Nets will have to face the Toronto Raptors in the play-in game, meaning that Irving won’t be able to play.
That’s on top of the fact that Irving won’t be able to play in any home games all throughout the playoffs. And considering that it was just announced that Ben Simmons has a herniated disc, it’s looking like Durant’s going to have to do it all himself.
But honestly, he might be able to do just that. Just last year, he played half of the Nets’ series against the Milwaukee Bucks without Irving and Harden, and it still came down to the final moments of a Game 7.
The point is, Durant is talented enough to single-handedly win the Nets at least one playoff series. And who’s to say he can’t do that four times in a row?