Not Even KD’s Return Could Save The Nets From Sinking Closer To Oblivion

Thursday night was all set up to be the launching of a Nets revival.

Superstar forward Kevin Durant returned to the court for the first time since spraining the MCL in his left knee during a January 15 game versus New Orleans. The Nets had tumbled down the Eastern Conference in his absence by going 5-17, but now KD was back to set things straight.

As shorthanded as Brooklyn still was with the absence of Ben Simmons (back), Joe Harris (ankle), and, of course, Kyrie Irving (unvaccinated), they were hosting a tired Miami squad that was even more ravaged by injuries and playing on the back end of a back-to-back.

This was a game the Nets absolutely had to win. Good teams find ways to win these games.

The Nets, though, are not a good team, even with KD in tow, especially when you compare them to their competitors in the East. The first-place Heat survived Brooklyn’s early punch and then made the big plays in the second half to come away with a 113-107 victory. Even though Durant did his part (31 points in 35 minutes), he couldn’t overcome all of the deficiencies that have plagued this team during a stretch of 23 losses in their last 32 games.

Don’t look behind you, Brooklyn, because Washington is gaining on you. The Nets (32-32) are by no means assured of even reaching the postseason, never mind escaping the play-in round. The 11th-place Wizards (28-33) are just a game behind them in the loss column.

I’ve been warning Nets fans for a while about the ticking clock, that this team is running out of real estate in terms of the time needed to coalesce as a well-oiled machine on both ends in order to be viewed as a true title contender. You look at Miami and how they managed to replace their three main irritants in Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and P.J. Tucker, among others, with merely a blip in the first half, and then contrast that to what’s going down in Brooklyn—it’s like they’re not in the same league.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra ran circles around Nets counterpart Jacque Vaughn, who has been filling in for Steve Nash (COVID-19 protocols) for the last three games. Spoelstra was able to seamlessly plug in guys like Max Strus and Caleb Martin whereas Vaughn and the rest of the Nets’ staff are just getting to know a third of their rotation. As a result, miscommunications were running amok, leading to a steady stream of Heat players either scoring at will in the paint or parading to the free throw line. Brooklyn’s most recent acquisition, guard Goran Dragic, mused after the game that defensively, “three guys are playing a switch game and the others are, I don't know, blitzing?"

That’s not ideal. On the other hand, the Heat’s chemistry allowed them to mix in some exotic defenses to turn the game toward their favor in the second half. When KD was on the floor, Miami mostly employed a box-and-one, denying him the ball and then sending nearby help defenders early. You’d think that Brooklyn would have counter adjustments at the ready. Their pitiful 40-point second-half output after going into intermission with a 67-60 advantage suggests otherwise.

Vaughn played into the Heat’s hands by pairing Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond, two non-shooters, against the zones. As one would easily predict, those units got crushed, 21-7, in over 7 second-half minutes. James Johnson, another bricklayer, was also part of the gang that couldn’t shoot straight for a four-minute stint in the third quarter. Who knows how bad it would have gotten for Brooklyn had Brown, a career 30.8% three-point shooter entering the contest, not knocked down 3-of-his-4 attempts from behind the arc?

For those of you who checked in on James Harden in the last week, it might confirm that the rumors of why he was unhappy in Brooklyn were accurate. The Beard, who passive-aggressively forced Nets General Manager Sean Marks to trade him to Philadelphia at the February 10 deadline, has the spring in his step back after looking disinterested over his final few weeks here. He’s rediscovered his shooting stroke (59/50/90 split) and is pushing the pace, averaging 12.3 assists per game. He even took a charge against the Knicks the other night, something I can’t recall him ever attempting in Brooklyn.

Granted, it’s just three games, all against weaker competition, but my theory about the source of his frustrations in Brooklyn is still in play. The Sixers, coached by Doc Rivers, know what they’re doing, as opposed to the Nets’ constant experimentations with rotations and schemes. Mostly, though, it’s that the lanes are now wide open for Harden to drive in Philly. No one’s helping off of MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the floor is spread with competent three-point shooters. Again, small sample size disclaimer, but he has started his Sixers’ run by going 11-for-15 (73.3%) from inside the restricted area after converting on just 54.4% of those opportunities as a Net.

Contrary to the consensus opinion, Harden is content with playing a less ball-dominant style—if you recall, that’s how he began his Nets tenure last season. Even during Embiid’s rest minutes, Harden has been a team player, setting screens to free Tobias Harris, as detailed in an excellent article by CBSSports.com’s James Herbert. At Harden’s age and fitness level, I think he knows he can’t win a ring with a team that requires him to be the sole volume scorer. Unfortunately, thanks to Irving’s vaccine obstinance, injuries, and the clogged paints from too many non-shooters, too often that’s who Harden had to be in Brooklyn.

Back in Brooklyn, if you were looking for the cavalry to save this team, KD is pretty much it for a while. The Nets appear to be stuck with this rotation for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure what Marks heard on Thursday other than NYC Mayor Eric Adam’s latest remark that he has no plans to lift the Private Employer vaccine mandate that is prohibiting Irving from suiting up inside City limits. Of the Nets’ final 18 games, Irving will be eligible to play in seven, four of which the Nets will be clear underdogs even with two superstars on the court.

Marks also gave solemn updates on Harris, the NBA’s three-point champ last season who needs a second surgery that will end this campaign, and Simmons, who is weeks aways from possibly returning to action, leaving maybe a dozen games to acclimate him into the program before the playoffs start, and only a few with the Nets’ new Big 3 intact.

If they make it. Look, it’s easy to get mesmerized by Durant’s greatness. He sat out all that time and barely missed a beat in his first game back. I’d bet that as he gets into more of a rhythm, there will be upcoming games where he single-handedly wills the Nets to victories. However, that’s not going to be good enough to get them very far in the end.

KD did warn us during Thursday’s shootaround that he wasn’t going to be the Nets’ savior—I guess it’s my fault for not taking it seriously.