While the Nets were booming with 18 wins in 20 games, the skies quickly darkened over Brooklyn when Kevin Durant suffered a knee injury in Miami ten days ago. Is the New York team destined to experience a big air pocket without its MVP? Kyrie Irving says no, but the first results are not reassuring.
A year ago, to the day, Kevin Durant missed his first out of 21 consecutive game due to a sprained knee. The results of the Nets on these 21 meetings? 5 wins for 16 losses.
Today is January 17, 2023 and it’s hard not to make the connection with last season when you know that KD will miss a month of competition for a similar injury. It is all the more difficult in view of the first results without Durant, Brooklyn losing twice against Boston (109-98, it happens to good people) and Oklahoma City (112-102, more worrying) home since the Slim Reaper injury. Except that for Kyrie Irving, this comparison has no place. This is what he said after the match against the Thunder on Sunday at a press conference.
“I don’t think we’re going to struggle without Kevin (Durant). I do not believe it. And neither are the guys in the locker room.
It’s not at all like last year. So the comparison must stop. I you [les journalistes, ndlr.] let’s compare if you want, but we don’t make any comparison with last season. Our goal is to control our level of concentration and the way we prepare.”
Unjustified comparison?
When you look back and go back a year, it’s true that the situation was completely different around Kevin Durant’s injury. As a reminder, in January 2022, Kyrie Irving played every other match (at least away matches) because of restrictions linked to New York’s anti-COVID policy, James Harden was sulking because of this situation and already saw each other in Philadelphia, and then there was no real coherence on the collective level. In short, a nice mess that will later push Kevin Durant to request his transfer.
Today, the Nets have much more guarantees. There is obviously this exceptional dynamic of 18 wins in 20 games since the end of November, inevitably that gives confidence. We also have a group that has really found itself since new coach Jacque Vaughn took over after the chaos at the start of the season. Collectively it’s strongerthe players know their role well, and we want to believe that the KD-dependence is not as high as last year.
“The fact that I’m constantly in the top five helps. And then there is no one in the locker room who is only half invested (hello James Harden?). Above all, we focus on the overall objective. There, these are warm-up matches for the big meetings in April.
– Kyrie Irving on the difference from last season
But all this does not protect the Nets from a potential drop in the standings. Especially if Kyrie Irving does not raise his level of play during the upcoming deadlines.
Kyrie Irving says he doesn’t believe the Nets will struggle without Kevin Durant. Two fourth-quarter collapses — including an embarrassing blown lead against OK — say otherwise.
With Durant out, it’s clear Irving must step up. So far, no good. More: https://t.co/D2lHCzyQh1
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) January 16, 2023
In the absence of Kevin Durant, we obviously expect Uncle Drew to take matters into his own hands and evolve at an even higher level than that of the first part of the season (25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists at 48 % shooting). His performances during the two defeats against Boston and Oklahoma City? 24 points at 9/24 shooting, then 15 points at 7/20. Complicated to win under these conditions for Brooklyn, even more so when you have Ben Simmons who totals exactly zero points over the two games (0 against Boston, absent against OKC).
Suffice to say that we will have to move seriously before the road trip to the West that awaits the Nets. Otherwise the bad memories could quickly come to the surface…