If you're not paying close attention to the Brooklyn Nets, it probably doesn't look like they have anything to worry about. After all, they boast a 41-20 record, good for first place in the East. They have three superstars who are scoring above 25 points per game — Kevin Durant (27.5), Kyrie Irving (27.3) and James Harden (25.4) — along with key role players like Joe Harris, Blake Griffin and Bruce Brown.
But there's more to it than that. Because even if you're not paying the closest attention, but you have somewhat of an idea as to the goings-on in the world of Brooklyn basketball, you know that not all is perfect. LaMarcus Aldridge's sudden retirement took away the team's likely starting big man for their playoff run. The fact that the team's big three doesn't have all that much time playing together — a situation that hasn't changed in the few weeks that have passed since Steve Nash said it was "not ideal" — is half-intriguing given that they've dominated many a time despite this, but half-scary due to the unknown of how they'll work together against constantly stiffer competition.
Don't get me wrong: there's a lot to be optimistic about if you're a Nets fan. But, as SNY's Ian Begley shared with Ryan McDonough on the latest episode of the "Audacy NBA Show," there's definitely some stuff to keep your eye on as we enter the homestretch of the regular season. One of those things is James Harden's health, as it has now been 10 games since Harden attempted to make his return from a hamstring injury against the Knicks and left early.
"The way Steve Nash has addressed it, he's kind of taken it moment-by-moment and I haven't seen him project forward that much, but there has to be a level of concern," Begley said. "There has to be, given the way this thing played out. You know, he came back after a hamstring injury and then reaggravated it, so there's an issue there. And the thing is, the imaging initially didn't show that there was damage, so that's why he went back out on the court — I'm referencing the pocket of games where he came back — then he gets hurt again, so this doesn't seem like something that's gonna necessarily go away."
If it isn't something that just goes away and continues to nag Harden, then... yeah, obviously that's an issue. It's not like his on-off numbers have been staggering this season, as the team's net rating is +5.1 per 100 possessions when Harden is on the court and +4.8 when he's not, though you have to remember that he hasn't necessarily played with a full-strength lineup when he's in. But, ideally, you're going to want Harden — the guy whose acquisition required that the Nets sacrifice their future — to play as much as possible, especially later in the postseason.
"I think you have to get it (his hamstring) to the best place you can get it entering the playoffs and then hope for the best, or maybe — Ryan, as you said — you have the luxury of resting him longer even in a first-round series to really get the injury past you," Begley said. "They haven't really talked a ton about their concern level that he may not be fully healthy for the playoffs, but it has to be there given the way things have played out."
But Harden's injury isn't something that the Nets can really control, for now. He's either going to be healthy or he's going to be hurt, and recovery is a process that rest and time will dictate. But what of the non-health issues that might be of concern for the powerhouse Nets?
"I look at the five spot — and this is not to discredit DeAndre Jordan — but I look at it as a question mark only because you're going up probably against Joel Embiid at some point in Philadelphia, and how do you counter that?" Begley said. "How do you counter him? How do you try and slow him down? I wonder about that issue for this Brooklyn team?
"And then you look at Los Angeles and Anthony Davis and how do you defend Anthony? And how do you try and neutralize him, or try to have him at less than his best and give yourself a chance to win? So that interior defense, to me, is a question mark and one thing that can derail Brooklyn."
Embiid typically dominates no matter what team he's going up against, and the Nets are no exception. The one game in which he was somewhat stifled was when none of the big three played and Jarrett Allen worked on Embiid, holding him to just 20 points. In the other two post-Allen games, Embiid is averaging 36.0 points and 11.0 rebounds and has a +16 plus/minus. A big man, be it Embiid or Nikola Vucevic or Julius RAndle, has dropped 30 points on the Nets eight times in 2021. That number is pretty big in comparison to teams like the 76ers, who have only had two big men go for 30-plus points against them this year, or the Bucks and Knicks, who have each only allowed four.
Stopping Embiid and other dominant bigs that could cross the Nets' path will be something that falls not only on DeAndre Jordan but also on the coaches, who will need to determine the best way in which to bolster that interior presence. That, too, could be a source of some worry, but Begley isn't as focused on that.
"From a coaching perspective, obviously Steve Nash is embarking on something that he's never done before — coaching the playoffs — and it's obviously quite a different animal," Begley said. "But he's got an experienced staff and I think Mike D'Antoni and the other guys on his staff — Jacque Vaughn — there's a lot of experience, so I think he'll lean on those coaches, D'Antoni in particular, to help him through his first time. So I don't see that as as much of a potential pratfall for these Nets as I do interior defense."
If you're a betting man/woman, how much faith do you have in the Nets given some of the issues that could present themselves? Are you more confident in the high-octane offensive attack and star power of the Nets than you are in the terrifying starting five of the Bucks, or the defensive, Embiid-centric attack of the 76ers? Apparently, these questions aren't bothering sports books too much, as DraftKings has the Nets as title favorites at +240.
But would you put your money down on that value? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @AudacySports and @WFAN660.
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