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The Brooklyn Nets have had inconsistencies on their active roster the entire season. Between the part-time availability of Kyrie Irving and the league-leading 10 players to enter COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the Nets have not had time to build stability on the court. Still, they sit in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
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Nets James Harden Gets Candid on Kevin Durant’s Injury
During Brooklyn’s matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Nets reserve Bruce Brown collided into Kevin Durant’s knee during the 2nd quarter and the two-time Finals MVP did not return.
Nets star James Harden revealed what Durant told him about his injury at halftime:
“I spoke to him at halftime,” said Harden per NetsDaily. “He said somebody kind of ran into his knee. I was just lifting weights so I haven’t spoken to him yet. I’ll call him. I think he gets an MRI tomorrow so we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, it’s not bad at all.”
Harden also says that even though the injuries are piling up for the Nets, that isn’t an excuse for them to fold. They will have to find a way to persevere like they have been doing.
“Yeah. I mean tonight with what happened with K [Kevin Durant] and then Kai [Kyrie Irving] being able to play road games only, and then Joe [Harris], Nic [Claxton], LaMarcus [Aldridge], We’ve been a resilient group since I’ve been here and we just got to keep going. Keep pushing. Keep pushing.”
James Harden Praises Nets Rookies
The one positive of the Nets having so many holes in their roster has been that their rookies have gotten more opportunities to display their talent. Kessler Edwards, Day‘Ron Sharpe, Cam Thomas, and David Duke Jr have proven to be more than serviceable players.
The Nets rookies did not come into this season expecting to see a lot of minutes with Brooklyn having one of the most talented rosters in the league. However, with the absence of so many of the Nets’ key players, they have been asked to play a bigger role.
“They’re getting better every game. They’re learning, and I think one thing that they bring consistently is their effort,” said Harden of the Nets rookies per NetsDaily.
“That’s all that matters. Day‘Ron is very skilled. He’s got really good hands at finishing the basketball, and then Kess defensively on the wing is active and has been knocking down the three. It’s huge for us. They bring that energy and effort every single night and that’s contagious. That rubs off on every individual on the team.”
“It’s really just my confidence,” said Nets rookie Kessler Edwards. “I mean, I’ve had a couple nights where I didn’t shoot how I wanted to, but just staying with it. I mean, I know I’m a shooter ever since college. So that’s really the main thing is getting shots up, staying confident.”
“We’re just playing our role,” Nets rookie Cam Thomas said after the win. “Whatever role we’re put in, we’re playing our role and we’re just doing our best in a role. So, I feel like we’re just excelling in the role that we’re put in.”
With Durant expected to miss time with the knee injury, the Nets rookies and everyone else on the roster will be expected to play much bigger roles. It will be pivotal if the team wants to stay in the hunt for the top seed in the East.
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