With the return of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets have instantly become contenders for the championship. The two superstars are both seasoned champions, and seem to have perfect chemistry on the court: they look destined for greatness. However, recently the Nets received some bad news. Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL, though is expected to fully recover. Dinwiddie brings a unique two-way presence to the Nets at the guard position, and losing him is a tough blow.
Analysts are already talking about whether this injury affects the Nets’ chances of contending. Kendrick Perkins was one of the people who valued Dinwiddie highly, hence he is doubtful on their current chances of even making it out of the Eastern Conference.
"I don't see the Nets making the finals without Spencer Dinwiddie."
—@KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/eLSCpAXiim
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 29, 2020
Kendrick Perkins is right in the fact that Dinwiddie is a crucial part of the Nets offense. He can do everything on the court and set up his teammates. Dinwiddie’s absence is going to hurt them in terms of flow, as he took some of the playmaking duties off of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. While Caris LeVert can step it up, that does leave no viable playmakers on the bench. LeVert to the starting lineup hurts their depth and forces players to step into bigger roles.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops. The Nets definitely have enough star power to get to the Finals. It remains to be seen whether they’ll achieve it without Dinwiddie, but no one would bet against Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
