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The Brooklyn Nets are going to be in an interesting position for the rest of the year just like they have been since the start of the season. They just got Kyrie Irving back but he is only going to be a player that plays for away games and only be a part-time player. This isn't good news for the Nets because they do not have many other guys outside of their starting five who can really help make a positive impact for this team.
In order for Brooklyn to win an NBA title, they're going to need to avoid some major mistakes that could be made throughout the remainder of the season. Let's take a look at three areas the Nets must avoid in order to win that NBA championship that everybody expects them to win.
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Nets Must Avoids
3. Don't be afraid to trade Kyrie Irving
There's no denying that when Kyrie Irving is on the court he is one of the best players in basketball. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, and Kyrie, he cannot play unless it is an away game. It does not seem like he is going to get the covid vaccination anytime soon so Brooklyn does have to realize that he is essentially a part-time player and having one of the best players in basketball only playing part-time is not going to help their team out that much.
If Brooklyn does have to play a team like the Milwaukee Bucks or the Chicago Bulls and they do not have Kyrie Irving for four of those seven games, there is a good chance that they are not going to win. The Nets do have arguably the best player in the world in Kevin Durant and also another great player in James Harden. The Nets do not have a bunch of depth and it is going to significantly hurt their chances of winning an NBA championship.
It wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world if the Nets do decide to trade Kyrie Irving for somebody like Ben Simmons. Simmons is not anywhere near as good of a player as Kyrie is but the Nets could use some defense and at least they know that Simmons will be on the court every game that they play.
2. Make moves at the deadline to get some depth
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The biggest issue with the Nets at the moment is that Kyrie Irving is not playing and they have zero depth. Outside of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Patty Mills, and a few others, their team isn't great.
In the playoffs, this isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world because as everybody knows, Kevin Durant and James Harden are going to be able to play 40-plus minutes a night. When the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets met a season ago in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, both stars on both teams played almost every minute.
If the Nets want to have any success against the other top teams in the Eastern Conference, this is what they are going to have to do. Depth isn't necessarily going to win you a championship because, at the end of the day, the stars are going to have to perform. Everybody in the world knows that when Kevin Durant has the lights shining on him, he's going to come through and get you some buckets. What the Nets do need to be cautious about is that their depth is so bad that if they even have to play them for seven to 10 minutes at night, those are going to be huge minutes that they are not going to win against other teams in the playoffs. They also have to factor in that their lack of depth is also going to hurt them in the regular season because they have nobody who can come in and have serviceable minutes outside of about seven guys.
1. Limit Kevin Durant's minutes
If the Nets want to have any success this season, it is all going to be based on how well Kevin Durant plays and how long he can continue playing the absurd amount of minutes that he is. He is one of the best players to ever touch a basketball and there's certainly an argument to be made that he is the best player in the world right now. They're only about three other guys that could really compare him to. What he does on the court is simply mind-blowing. The game has never seen another score like this and quite frankly, we probably never will.
What the Nets do need to realize is that Kevin Durant has had some unfortunate injuries throughout his career and one little tweak could cause a season-ending injury for him. They have to realize that the regular season does not mean anything to the Nets and that their success is only going to be based on if they can stay healthy for the playoffs.
