Brooklyn Nets
The 2022-23 Brooklyn Nets can be defined by the fact that KD and Kyrie are gone.
What did we learn?
The KD and Kyrie era is over in Brooklyn.
And with one trip to the second round of the playoffs to show for it.
To the surprise of nobody, this season got off to a rocky start. The Nets started 1-5 and Steve Nash was canned on Nov. 1, barely making it past Halloween before being put out of his misery.
Two days later, Kyrie was suspended from the team. Not because of a vaccine mandate, but this time it was because of a tweet. Just another chapter in the book of Kyrie just can’t help himself from off-the-court antics that are a distraction to the team.
Kyrie did his time (2 weeks) and after he returned, the Nets were the best team in the league, ripping off a 17-3 record in a 20-game stretch with the No. 1 offense in the NBA in December. Kyrie even stayed away from drama for the next two months. But we heeded a warning in our early-Feb. power rankings:
Kyrie has stepped up in Durant’s absence, averaging 31.4 points per game since Jan. 12, No. 6 in the NBA over that span. Even more impressive is the fact that he’s stayed on his best behavior for this long. (As always, what could be around the next bend?)
Four days later, he requested a trade.
The Nets granted Kyrie his wish, more than elated to be out of the Kyrie business like all of the other teams before them.
Soon enough, KD was traded as well and the 16 games that KD, Kyrie and Harden played together will go down in infamous folklore, an old wives tale that was actually true for the blink of an eye.
And so, Ben Simmons is the lone survivor of the 2022-23 Nets “Big 3” that was the biggest joke. When he actually played, Simmons was still afraid to shoot. He was fine on defense and passing in transition, but he couldn’t score or stay healthy. (The Nets got fleeced in Harden trades twice.)
However, the new-look run-and-gun Nets with Mikal Bridges leading the show were a breath of the freshest air. Brooklyn got to see what a real team that likes each other looks like.
This iteration of the Nets had wings galore: Bridges, Cam Johnson, DFS, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris and Cam Thomas.
Bridges, with the highest offensive freedom and usage of his career, erupted into a 26 points per game scorer, taking almost 19 shots a night.
The new-look Nets were 12-15 after the trade deadline, able to hold on to the 6-seed in the East and avoid the play-in.
They did get swept by Philly in the first round, but they hung in and were competitive in those games.
In the end, this season was all about moving on from another disastrous attempt to bring superstar talent to Brooklyn.
It’s a risk on paper you have to take.
But was it really worth it?
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Additional Notes
Right at the trade deadline, there was a three-game stretch where Cam Thomas went bananas, scoring 44, 47 and 43 points in consecutive games. BANANAS. Three 40-point games in a row!
Nic Claxton’s progression this season definitely got swept under the rug with everything else happening in Brooklyn. He would have gotten a vote from this here blog for 2nd-team All-Defense.
Spencer Dinwiddie’s return to Brooklyn also did not get enough love. From March 1 to the end of the season, Dinwiddie averaged 16 points and 10 assists.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
There are just too many questions here. Under feels like the safe bet. Under 50.5 wins.
Nets 2022-23 record: (45-37)
Yes indeed. This Under was safe.
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What’s Next?
The Nets currently have back-to-back picks at No. 21 and No. 22 in the 1st round.
Jacque Vaughn will be shoring up his coaching staff this offseason. Some have suggested hiring former Hornets head coach James Borrego, whom Vaughn knows well from their time spent together in San Antonio, and assistant coach Joe Prunty, previously of the Hawks.
Get the vibes from the pre-KD, pre-Kyrie 2018-19 Nets back.
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