Nets' training camp is set for Tuesday September 28th in San Diego. They begin their preseason at Staples Center on the third of October when they'll face the Lakers. There are a few questions on everyone's minds as the team gears up for the marathon regular season ahead. Let's start with three questions we know many will be wondering about.
1)How do James Harden and Kyrie Irving look?
Kyrie Irving (ankle) and James Harden (hamstring) both had some extensive rest/rehab programs to focus on this off-season. We learned on Nets' media day from General Manager Sean Marks that both “look great,” per ESPN's Tim Bontemps. We're curious to see how they'll appear and how hard they might play when they first return to the floor. Maybe once they commence practicing together, we'll gain word on how close to 100 percent each star is feeling. Assuming everyone is in the lineup for at least some preseason action, it'll be very intriguing to see what versions of themselves they are. I wouldn't expect much more than a low-gear effort from the stars anyway.
We're also wondering if Harden will have any new tricks in his bag. He always seems to come back after an offseason with a new move or two. What he did with the gather step or that double step back changed the way lots of dudes play offense. James is basically a mad scientist and the gym is his lab. Hopefully, his hammy was feeling healthy enough to add to his already deep bag of tricks.
James Harden’s getting tricky with the one-legged three-point shot 😂 #Rockets #Clippers pic.twitter.com/VEPlzLhFih
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 4, 2019
2) Vaccination status
We're not likely to learn much during training camp about the team's vaccination status. Because they're out in San Diego, they're all eligible to practice and play. But Marks let it be known that a couple of players would not currently be eligible to practice if they were back in Brooklyn. New York City has local vaccination mandates, and that will apply to the teams that play in cities like New York (Knicks and Nets) and San Francisco (Warriors).
This could be a potential issue for Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins' eligibility.
The Warriors have "increasing concern" about the availability of Andrew Wiggins due to local COVID-19 mandates, per @Rusty_SFChron
He has declined getting the vaccine and said he won't receive it unless he's forced to. pic.twitter.com/XAMkXanGCp
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 23, 2021
“When asked if he believed the issue would be resolved before regular-season games begin next month, Marks simply said, ‘Correct.'”
That Marks expects his full team to be eligible is exciting news. At least we're not hearing any stories like the one the Warriors are dealing with. We still don't know which players have not been vaccinated or anything about their willingness to eventually comply in the weeks ahead. But it's certainly a theme that will hover over the team until we do learn more. The mere possibility that they could enter the season without a key member of their rotation (or even a star) could threaten their standing atop the league-wide power rankings. No news is good news on this front for the time being.
3) Who will run point?
Perhaps one of the sweetest Valentine's Day gifts “The Beard” received last season came from his buddy and teammate Kyrie Irving. On February 14th, Malika Andrews of ESPN reported Kyrie Irving saying the following:
“I just looked at [James Harden] and I said, ‘You're the point guard, and I'm going to play shooting guard.' That was as simple as that.”
We didn't get to see the big three of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant play much last year. But I would guess that not only will we see more of the trio this year, we'll see plenty of Harden at the point for the Nets.
James saw his assists per game jump from 7.5 per game in 2020 with Houston up to 10.9 in Brooklyn. I'm sure Irving and Durant will both receive ample opportunity to play the facilitator, especially since we expect Steve Nash to stagger their stars' minutes and load manage throughout the year. I would also expect Blake Griffin, a very talented passer, to get some burn at point. But it's our current expectation Harden will be the primary initiator when the big three do share the floor. Nets training camp may make that more clear.
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