Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets aren’t having the best moment right now. Their offense improved a lot when they traded for James Harden but their defense hasn’t clicked and they’re suffering every time they step foot on the court.
On Sunday night, they went toe to toe with the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the league. The Nets scored 148 points on them, a really good number if it wasn’t because the Wizards scored 149, with Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal having a great night, leading the Wizards’ comeback. The game finished with a crazy sequence that saw Washington’s backcourt taking care of things and finishing the Nets.
https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1356066924593991680
After the game was over, Durant reacted to it, making it clear that he’s confident that his team can turn things around and reach the level they want to.
“I got faith in our team and our guys and you know we going to start to put it together on both sides of the ball.”
Kevin Durant: "I got faith in our team and our guys and you know we going to start to put it together on both sides of the ball." pic.twitter.com/SVNNTRJ0qJ
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 1, 2021
They need to start playing great on both sides of the ball as soon as possible. Whenever teams go against them, they allow a lot of points and that will be a problem in the postseason. They have allowed the highest points in a game this season, 149 last night against the Wizards and 147 against the Cleveland Cavaliers a couple of weeks ago.
Most points allowed in a game this season:
149 — Nets to Wizards tonight
147 — Nets to Cavs pic.twitter.com/UUs6RZPZeX
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 1, 2021
The Wizards dropped 136 points in nearly 39 minutes 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tm3Lb0qi7V
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 1, 2021
The Nets ironically have one of the best offenses and one of the worst defenses of all time, which explains why their games have such high scores.
The Nets since the Harden trade:
122.6 offensive rating
– Best in league
– Would be the best of all time
119.9 defensive rating
– Worst in league
– Would be the worst of all time pic.twitter.com/B5EbhfuEzH
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 1, 2021
The Wizards and Nets combined for 295 points, the second-highest-scoring non-overtime game in the last 25 seasons, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) February 1, 2021
Since the James Harden trade, they have had the same record as the Houston Rockets but their defense has gotten worse while the Rockets have the best defensive rating in the game. All these things make you wonder if they made a mistake trading for Harden or they should break the Big 3 to improve their defense.
Since the Harden trade
Rockets:
– 6-3 record
– Best defensive rating in NBA
Nets:
– 6-3 record
– Worst defensive rating in NBA pic.twitter.com/wnRPvpC5PF
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 1, 2021
It’s unclear what they’re going to do now amid a season that will be extremely hard for them, especially with this defense. They need to get it together before it’s too late. The Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics are ready to play in the Finals and if the Nets continue playing this way, they won’t stand a chance against them.
