Why the Brooklyn Nets Will Be Fine While Kevin Durant is Out
This past weekend, Brooklyn Nets superstar and former league MVP Kevin Durant suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee. This puts Durant on the shelf for what’s expected to be 4-6 weeks for such an injury to put the Nets in a dire situation right in the middle of the regular season. However, we believe that Brooklyn will be able to weather the storm even without KD’s services.
NitroBetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. This time, cite three reasons why the Brooklyn Nets will be fine without the services of their top superstar Kevin Durant, as well as the Nets’ latest odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals in the advent of this recent development.
3 Reasons Why the Nets Will Be Fine While Kevin Durant is Out
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They’ve Been Through This Before
As of this writing, the Brooklyn Nets are still the odds-on favorites to win the 2022 NBA Finals in June with a price of (+290). While that price could certainly change for the worse in the days to come, it’s still a solid testament for the Nets, who are still right in the thick of the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 27-16 record as of January 17.
Brooklyn is no stranger for having to do more with less. Last season, Durant missed 23 games, and the team still finished with the second-best record in the conference at 48-24. At the end of the day, what matters most for the Nets is that the team makes the playoffs with relative health; something that they’ve accomplished for the past three seasons. A month and a half without Durant in the lineup is certainly a road bump that Steve Nash and Co. can overcome.
The Beard Who Will Still Be Feared
Let’s not forget that the Nets are still stacked with elite talent that other teams can only dream of. It starts with none other than fellow former MVP James Harden, who currently leads the NBA with an average of 10 assists per game whilst also averaging 22.7 points and eight rebounds per contest.
It’ll be interesting to see how Brooklyn operates on offense with Harden back as the top scoring option for the team. Harden’s 22.7 PPG is on pace to be his worst single-season scoring performance in a decade, but that could all change with KD on the sidelines and with Kyrie Irving still reluctant to get vaccinated in order to play in the Nets’ home games in Barclays Center. Harden has averaged well over 25 points per game across the last 10 seasons.
Safety Nets From the Bench
Apart from having the likes of Harden and Irving taking the brunt of the scoring load in place of Durant, the Nets have more than star power at their disposal. Brooklyn’s mix of crafty veterans along with rising upstarts is quite encouraging, with players such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills, Cam Thomas, and Kessler Edwards about to play huge roles in the coming weeks.
Thomas and Edwards, in particular, are pleasant surprises. Thomas was Brooklyn’s first-round pick in the previous draft taken 27th overall and has scored 20 or more points in three of his last five starts. Meanwhile, fellow rookie and second-round pick Edwards went 7-of-11 from three-point range over the last two games whilst logging in an average of 37.5 minutes of action. Consistent production from either of these two young players will be key for the Nets to try and stay afloat without KD doing most of the heavy lifting on offense.
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