In the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak, the world hunkers down for the holiday season. The Brooklyn Nets are just beginning to see a few of their 10(!) players return from health and safety protocols. With a Christmas day tilt against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, they'll at least have James Harden as the only member of the Big 3 available.

Kyrie Irving is set to return for away games in the New Year, as soon as his own predictable case of COVID-19 no longer registers positive tests. Steve Nash's group will  look to steal wins any they can during this tricky time period, and maybe send a stocking full of gifts to Adam Silver and the league for postponing their last few games when their bare bones roster would likely have been thrashed.

With that being said, here are three things that need to be on the Nets' Christmas wish list.

Brooklyn Nets Christmas Wish List

3. Having a healthy team

Like many people in the world right now, one imagines that the first, second and third items on the Nets' wish list right now pertains to getting their squad back and staying as healthy as possible. That's the one thing this team just hasn't been able to field consistently since they formed the Big 3 last winter.

Coach Nash has indicated that his guys in protocol have reported being mostly asymptomatic, but we know that everyone is different. Some (fully vaccinated) players have experienced a lack of wind and conditioning upon returning.

Recently, Philadelphia 76ers' (vaccinated) forward Tobias Harris talked about the all-too-real conversations players have today returning from the COVID-19 list.

Per Liberty Ballers, Josh Grieb, Harris recently said:

“Fans and people watching, nobody cares. You know, it’s just a fact. Nobody cares, like what’s going on with you health-wise, at home, or whatever. It’s like ‘what are you doing right now on the floor to help the team win?’ So that’s part of the game honestly. I’m not complaining about it. But there are guys who have had COVID. Like, we do have those conversations like ‘how did you feel? How did your wind feel out there? Or yesterday you had some chest-pain. Regular type conversations throughout the night. And like I didn’t know what that was. But those things, they’re real.”

So the Nets will hope that everyone who returns feels good and can begin to ramp up to NBA action without ongoing issues. That's certainly top of mind now. Then they'll have to navigate the rest of the regular season to ensure their trio of superstars are good to go for the playoffs.

2. James Harden returning to form

Next up, the team will want to ask Santa for James Harden to return to being… well James Harden.

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The Beard hasn't played like an All-NBA player so far this year. He's done everything the coach has asked. Steve Nash has asked him to attack the paint and create either for himself or for the open teammate. He's done that and played like an All-Star. Harden is averaging 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists–all while shooting 33.7 percent from deep and taking 7.4 free throws per game.

These are terrific numbers. But anyone who has followed the ASU product closely knows he just has not been the same Top 5-player we've come to know over the years. What gives?

It's best explained by a combination of factors. He spent all summer long rehabbing a pretty significant Grade 2 hamstring strain. There was also the point about rule changes targeting non-basketball moves. Finally, without Irving in the fold, Harden has been tasked with playing facilitator more than the lead-scorer role he played with the Rockets.

But the more time that goes by from that injury, the more officials find a medium between enforcing new rules and all of the hacking they let take place early on, and with the return of Irving, all of that should help Harden improve. Maybe he won't get back to 2018 form, but they may not need him to in order to win a title. Irving's return could have an unexpected impact on The Beard.

1. Kyrie Irving becomes a full time player

Having Kyrie Irving in the fold for just road games might well be enough for this Nets team to win a title. But of course, the top item on any Nets Christmas wish list has to be the seven-time All-Star returning to play for all of the games. If Irving were to suddenly get vaccinated (whether that be a Moderna tomorrow or a plant-based type somewhere in the future) then they'd dramatically enhance their title odds.

Of course some type of tweak to the local NYC vaccination policy could lead to his playing in Brooklyn too, but even with a new Mayor coming in, nobody is holding their breath on that front. The other element here is that the team would probably be ecstatic to offer Irving a five-year deal to stay in Brooklyn long term as a full-time player. But if he's still a part-time player come July, the chances he plays for another team at the start of the 2022-23 season would seem to skyrocket. There's also more reason to explore trades before the February 10th NBA Trade deadline if there's no development on the vaccine front. Losing Irving for nothing in free agency by July would devastate this franchise.

All of their players being healthy, Harden ramping up to form, and Irving becoming a full time player should all be atop the Nets' wish list this holiday season.