The Brooklyn Nets haven't experienced the season that they had hoped for, and there are a variety of reasons for this. Dealing with the Kyrie Irving scenario has been the most significant cause for this Nets team's lack of success, and they've also had some unlucky injuries to players like Kevin Durant and others.

The fact is that if Kyrie Irving played every game, the Nets would have a great chance of winning an NBA championship. Because of how excellent Kevin Durant was before his injury, if he can return to his previous level of play, he is still a player capable of leading a team to a championship. And, despite the fact that they lost James Harden, this may possibly be a positive for the Nets.

Brooklyn did an excellent job of getting rid of Harden and then went out and got Ben Simmons, an outstanding defender. There are a lot of doubts about Simmons and whether or not he will play the sort of basketball that people want him to, but if he can still be that high-level defender, he can still be a significant contributor to a championship team like the Nets.

Let's look at three reasons why the Brooklyn Nets have a strong chance of winning the NBA title.

Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they're going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn't enough to get the job done.

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Nets Eastern Conference

3. Kevin Durant is either the best or second-best player in the world if he is healthy

There's no arguing that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player in the world to whom Kevin Durant can be compared with right now. Both of those players are among the best in the world, and it's difficult to say one is superior to the other. Both of them do things differently than the other and may easily be considered the best or second-best player on the planet.

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The Brooklyn Nets will always have a chance to win a championship because Kevin Durant is so good. Obviously, it would have been a lot simpler if some other things had gone their way this year instead of dealing with all of the unfortunate things that they've had to deal with, but there is still no argument that he can't lead a team to an NBA championship.

2. Outside shooting is lethal

There's a case to be made that the Brooklyn Nets' best 3-point shooter, Joe Harris, who went cold in a series against the Milwaukee Bucks last season, is why they lost. They were able to add Patty Mills throughout the summer and Seth Curry during the trade deadline.

This is going to be a terrifying squad for Ben Simmons to play on, given how outstanding of a passer he is. The Nets will have a lot of success in the playoffs if he can get some of these players' open looks as he has for most of his career. Many teams will be concerned about what Kevin Durant will do to them, which is understandable given that he is perhaps the best scorer of all time. However, teams will now have to be concerned about three additional players who can hit the 3-point shot at above 40%.

1. Ben Simmons provides excellent defense to keep other elite scorers at bay

Another big reason why the Brooklyn Nets didn't achieve the results they hoped for during the James Harden debacle is that they lacked a strong defense. There's no getting around the fact that their big three was mostly concerned with the offensive side of the ball. Their defense wouldn't have mattered much if they were all healthy and playing their best basketball, given how amazing their offense is. Now, they'll need Ben Simmons to keep being the high-level defender he's been throughout his career and get stops on elite scorers.

Ben Simmons will be tasked with stopping players such as Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, and other elite Eastern Conference players. If he can simply limit any of those players, the Brooklyn Nets will be a team with a tremendous opportunity to win an NBA championship.