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The Brooklyn Nets have gone from being one of the NBA’s most underachieving teams to one of the favorites to win this year’s NBA title. While Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have no doubt been the catalysts of their catapulting themselves into the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings, they would not be in the position they are in without the contributions of their role players.
Three of the Nets’ best role players this season have been sharpshooters Yuta Watanabe, Edmond Sumner, and veteran Markieff Morris. On January 6, the Nets converted all three of their non-guaranteed contracts into guaranteed deals, locking them into the roster for the rest of the season, according to Mike A. Scotto of HoopsHype.
“The Brooklyn Nets will guarantee the contracts of Yuta Watanabe, Edmond Sumner, and Markieff Morris, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto tweeted on January 6.
“Watanabe has become one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA. Sumner has played solid backup point guard minutes. Morris is shooting 48.7% on 3s.”
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Kyrie Irving Sounds off on Nets ‘Learning Experience’
The Nets had their NBA-best 12-game winning streak snapped in their last matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Despite holding Bulls All-Stars DeMar Derozan and Zach LaVine to a combined 12-31 shooting from the field, the Nets did not escape with the win.
Part of the reason for the loss was the Nets put themselves behind the eight ball, allowing Chicago to score 40 points in the opening quarter, something unusual for a Nets defense that had held their own during the win streak. Having their win streak snapped is disappointing, but Nets star Kyrie Irving says the loss to the Bulls was a good “learning experience” for Brooklyn.
“When you have multiple possessions throughout the game, it’s a three-point game, five-point game, but they’re (the Bulls) shooting 55%, 53% from the field, we haven’t broken their rhythm as of yet, makes the game a lot tougher,” Irving told reporters after the loss via YES.
“We put ourselves in a deep hole again, like I said, but, for us, this is another learning experience. Whether we won or lost this game, it’s just a learning experience for us to get ready for the bigger challenges ahead.”
Kevin Durant Receives High Praise From Hall of Fame
One of the bright spots for the Nets in their loss to the Bulls was their All-Star forward, Kevin Durant. He had another dazzling performance dropping 44 points in the loss.
Durant has become one of the more remarkable sports stories in recent memory. His NBA future was in doubt after rupturing his Achilles against the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals, an injury that has been viewed as a career death sentence.
But Durant returned from that injury, perhaps the best version of himself. His performance this season has made him one of the top candidates for this year’s MVP award. Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who also ruptured his Achilles had high praise for the Nets star.
“Durant has really taken hold of this and become kind of like the spokesperson for this injury,” Wilkins said via NetsDaily. “And so we’re passing the torch. We’re a lot alike in how we share responsibility.”
If Durant can lead this Nets team to a championship, it would be one of the greatest sports triumphs ever.
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