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The Brooklyn Nets are early favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship, but things could go south for them in the blink of an eye. Many anticipate an NBA Finals game between the LA Lakers and the Nets. But they tend to forget that there will be an 82-game stretch in the regular season before the playoffs.
Steve Nash and the Brooklyn Nets' front office made significant mistakes that cost them a deeper run in the 2021 NBA playoffs. There was a disturbingly significant chasm between their offense and defense. Winning the 2021 championship with the 23rd worst-rated defense would have been nothing short of a miracle.
Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Nets crashed out of the championship race in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets, missing two members of their big three, had to play a solid Bucks team with a depleted roster.
The 2021-22 NBA season promises to be exciting, as teams have gone all out to compete for the title. A key takeaway from the Brooklyn Nets' offseason is that they learned from their mistakes, and have worked to rectify them ahead of the new season.
Nevertheless, there remains the possibility that the Brooklyn Nets may fail to deliver in the 2021-22 season. On that note, here's a look at three reasons why the Nets' super team might fall short of expectations this campaign:
#1 Kyrie Irving might be unavailable for the Brooklyn Nets' home games
Kyrie Irving was the joint top scorer for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season. But he might be unavailable for the Nets' home games at the Barclays Center. In 54 games played last season, he averaged 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and six assists.
The NBA has released guidelines for unvaccinated players like Kyrie Irving. He has already missed media day, and is unavailable for training camp. According to league rules, players who miss games because of being unvaccinated will not be paid their salaries for those games.
But that will be the least of Irving's worries. That's because local laws in New York City stipulate that athletes who do not have at least one dose will not be allowed to participate. Knowing Irving, he can be rigid in his ways, and may need a lot of convincing to take his first shot.
If he refuses to get vaccinated, he will end up missing the Brooklyn Nets' home games. Believe it or not, Irving is as important as the other members that make up the Brooklyn Nets' big three.
#2 The Brooklyn Nets' big three are average defenders
The Brooklyn Nets have gone all out during the 2021 offseason to shore up their defense ahead of the new season. While they have made significant additions to the roster, like bringing in Paul Millsap, to improve their overall performance, questions remain about their defense.
The trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Irving are arguably the most lethal players offensively. Durant can score in any number of ways, and is almost unguardable. He has shown that for the Brooklyn Nets even after coming out of a potentially career-ending injury.
In the last ten years, Harden has scored the most points by any player in the NBA, while Irving joined the exclusive 50-40-90 club after an impressive campaign. Although all three are exquisite scorers, they can be woeful defenders.
To compete effectively, the Brooklyn Nets' star players will need to improve defensively. Durant will have to better his 2020-21 defensive rating of 111.9. The same goes for Irving (113.7) and Harden (112.3)
#3 Failure to stay healthy
The Brooklyn Nets players will look to stay as far away as possible from anything that might cause injury. Nevertheless, some players are more injury-prone than others.
The Nets' three-man line-up struggled throughout last season, playing less than ten games together in the regular season. It was more of the same in the playoffs, as Irving and Harden sustained injuries in Round 2 that kept them sidelined.
We are yet to see the Brooklyn Nets' big three having a decent run of games with all players healthy and operating at full capacity.
If all three players can manage to stay on the court for longer, the Nets will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with next season. Although the trio does not particularly have control over injuries, they must find a way to stay healthy and play together for a longer period.
