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After a sluggish start to the season, the Brooklyn Nets have become one of the top teams in the league and look like legit contenders for this year’s NBA title. After firing their former head coach Steve Nash in November, the Nets went from being one of the bottom teams in the NBA to having the second-best record in the entire league.
But just as the Nets were putting all of the pieces together, disaster struck. In their matchup with the Miami Heat on January 8, Nets All-Star forward Kevin Durant collided with Heat star Jimmy Butler. Durant left the game with an apparent leg injury and did not return. An MRI later revealed that he sprained his right MCL and will have his knee re-evaluated in two weeks. In the wake of Durant’s injury, fans on Twitter urged Nets general manager Sean Marks to sign 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who is currently a free agent.
Last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
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Kyrie Irving Sounds off on His Growth This Season
With Durant to be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, Nets star Kyrie Irving will be asked to step up in his absence. Irving is having perhaps his best statistical season in Brooklyn. He is averaging 26.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. It is a welcomed turnaround from last season, where Irving played just 29 games after refusing to get the state-mandated COVID vaccine to play home games at Barclays Center.
Irving had one dilemma this season. When he got suspended for eight games for posting the link to a film that featured anti-Semitic tropes. But outside of that, Kyrie has been laser-focused on the court this year. The Nets star says he has been intentional about keeping “extra distractions” away from basketball this season.
“Basketball is a very simple art form, so if I don’t bring all my extra distractions or anything that I’m going through mentally into the game, then I feel like we have a great chance of winning every game. That’s something I’ve taken responsibility for on my own end, just to positively reinforce that we can win games no matter what’s,” going on Irving said via the New York Post.
“Just being mentally prepared, using a lot of sessions in the summer of challenging myself to be ready for these moments where I don’t have to be swayed emotionally, I’m in control of my emotions, in control of my thoughts. … Because the ball isn’t going in the rim for me, I don’t want to use that as [an] opportunity for me to be selfish and get in my emotions. It’s about the team.”
Raptors Star Praises New Look Nets
Coming into the season, most people knew that this year’s Nets squad would be different from last season. Not only because of the return of Ben Simmons and their additions during free agency but the Nets also had several key departures. Most notably, Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond, who were major contributors in the second half of the season.
The Nets started the season looking like nothing had changed except for their personnel. But following Nash’s termination, there has been a clear culture shakeup in Brooklyn’s locker room which has transformed them into a winning franchise. Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet is one of the people who has taken notice.
“Great teams in the league are playing great team basketball and that’s the biggest difference that I’ve seen, especially this year. We played Brooklyn when they looked like they didn’t want to be there, and they hated each other, and Steve was there, and you could tell it was messed up.” VanVleet said on a recent episode of “The Old Man and the Three”.
“Then, we played them recently where it was just like they’re on a rhythm and they’re on a clock, and everybody’s bought in and everything’s flowing the right way.”
With Durant out for an extended period, the Nets will be put to the test in trying to keep the ship afloat without the services of their best player.
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