Things are looking grim for the Nets (pegged by many as favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in this year's Finals) after dropping another game Friday night in Utah, extending their winless drought to seven games. That's the NBA's longest active losing streak and their worst stretch under second-year coach Steve Nash. Brooklyn is quickly losing ground in the Eastern Conference standings, falling to the No. 6 seed and only a half-game out of "play-in" territory.
The Nets' struggles are understandable, with superstar Kevin Durant absent (he's missed the last 10 games with a knee injury) and Kyrie Irving only available for road games due to New York's vaccine mandate. James Harden has also been in and out of the lineup with hamstring tightness and could be on the way out with Brooklyn reportedly open to moving him (potentially for disgruntled Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons) at next week's trade deadline.
It's not like Brooklyn is dead and buried—even amid their recent freefall, the Nets remain just four games out of first in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn's core of Irving, Durant and Harden is as good as any trio in the NBA, though getting them on the court together has been a much bigger challenge than anticipated with injuries and Kyrie's refusal to get vaccinated preventing the Nets from enjoying any semblance of continuity.
The Nets haven't shown much urgency of late, falling flat in losses to Utah, Sacramento, Phoenix, Golden State, Denver, Los Angeles and Minnesota. As bad as they've looked, Irving isn't ready to press the panic button, insisting the Nets are still a work in progress.
"There's no time to feel like our season is in doomsday or we need to push the panic button," said Irving after posting 15 points on anemic 6-of-20 shooting in Friday's 125-102 loss to the Jazz. "A lot of our guys are still getting to know one another, how we play, what are our spots, our offensive and defensive tendencies and communication."
Irving is right in the sense that an NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Nets are also nearing a much-needed reset with the All-Star break only two weeks away. Still, it's hard to be optimistic amid so many moving parts with the Nets looking every bit as disjointed as their 29-23 record would suggest.
"It's really just where we are, facing the reality that we're not winning ball games right now," said Irving. "Being in this league for as long as I have been, 11 years, I've seen ups and downs. We've just got to trust that we have a [winning] group regardless of who's in and out of the lineup."
The Nets wrap up their five-game road trip Sunday at Denver before returning home Tuesday night to host the Celtics at Barclays Center. Irving, of course, will not be available for that game.
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