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For the first few weeks of the 2022-23 NBA season, it really looked like the Brooklyn Nets were the NBA equivalent of a failed state. They went 2-5 for the month of October and had to stave off one controversy after another. They had to deal with a coaching change, Kyrie Irving being Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons getting injured. Now, they seem to have found some renewed vigor, going 4-2 in November. However, at 6 wins and 7 losses, they are tied for ninth spot in the Eastern Conference. Here we will look at the four people most to blame for the Nets' disappointing start to the 2022-23 season.
Even if the Nets are on a bit of a streak this month, we cannot objectively say they have had a strong or even promising start to their 2022-23 campaign. Let's face it. For a team led by two sure-fire future Hall of Famers and Ben Simmons, they should be at least among the East's top six teams, right?
And yet, here we are. We're talking about this team in the context of being a middle-of-the-pack performer so far. The Nets are much better than this, and while we're excited that new head coach Jacque Vaughn seems to have righted some wrongs, there are still some concerns they have to address. Remember that this team was not built to be a fringe playoff squad. They were built to contend for a title. Right now, the Nets just aren't at that level.
Having said that, let us look at the four people most to blame for the Nets' disappointing start to the 2022-23 season.
4. Ben Simmons
Brooklyn PG Ben Simmons has really been a wash this season. He is nowhere near the All-NBA Third Team player he was in 2020, and he's not even close to being considered an early-returns All-Star. The 26-year-old Australian is currently averaging a paltry 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He is shooting just 44.4 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from the free throw line.
We cannot conscientiously justify any argument in favor of Simmons being a net-positive player for the Nets so far. He gives this team next-to-nothing on both ends of the floor and is in danger of being the basketball equivalent of a white elephant for Brooklyn. It's a shame since he has all the physical gifts to be a dominant force in the NBA. We do hope he turns things around this season, but all we see right now are red flags galore.
3. Kevin Durant
Yes, it feels strange to put KD of all people on this list. Out of the Nets' big three, he's the only one regularly on the floor and not hogging headlines for the wrong reasons. And yet, strangely enough, he hasn't exactly been the big reason for the Nets' current surge.
He's the Nets' current leading scorer, sure, but that's par for the course if you're KD. Anytime you're NOT leading your team in scoring, then you're not doing your job. What the Nets desperately need from Durant at this point, however, is something more than buckets. They need his length, especially when it comes to cleaning the glass. They also need him to be a distributor and take much better care of the ball.
Consider this — in Brooklyn's seven losses, Durant actually averages more points and blocks per game. That's nuts, right? However, in those same losses, he also averages considerably fewer rebounds and assists while averaging more turnovers.
In the Nets' wins, Durant averages 2.3 fewer points per game, but he also averages 3.2 more rebounds and dishes out nearly twice as many assists compared to when they lose. He also norms 2.8 turnovers in wins while nearly 4.0 turnovers in losses.
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These mean that for the Nets to win, they need KD to do more than score. They need him to be an elite rebounder and a better facilitator as well. Is that asking for too much? Nope. I mean, this is KD, after all.
2. Kyrie Irving
Okay, this is maybe the most obvious one on this list. Of course, Irving is here. Yes, he is second on the team in scoring and assists. Yes, he leads them in scoring and triples per game. Sure, he makes 92.7 percent of his free throws.
Strangely enough, though, despite those gaudy numbers, the Nets have been 2-6 with him playing. Right now, Irving is shooting just 28.0 percent from beyond the arc and 45.3 percent overall from the field. He has also missed a ton of games for Brooklyn, though we can argue that maybe that's a good thing. Keep in mind that the Nets are 4-1 without Irving so far this season.
The Brooklyn Nets have turned their season around during Kyrie Irving's absence from the team 😲
With Kyrie: Without Kyrie:
2-6 4-1 pic.twitter.com/unMcuDtJ0L— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2022
Beyond the court, however, Irving has been the biggest distraction in a franchise already neck-deep in distractions. They surely didn't need all the dramatic fallout from his ill-conceived, Alex Jones-induced social media faux pas. Even if an initial glance shows All-Star-worthy metrics, the bottom line is Irving brings very little net value to Brooklyn — not just as a basketball team but as an organization.
What he needs to do moving forward is play more efficiently and just tweet less. It's not really about “shutting up and just dribbling.” It's about just being a reliable teammate on the floor and a responsible member of the Nets organization.
1. Sean Marks
We believe that outside of the Kyrie Irving situation, most of the other things happening right now with the Nets could have been avoided had Sean Marks made better GM decisions.
What stands out right now, of course, is the tiring coaching rigmarole involving Steve Nash, Ime Udoka, and Jacque Vaughn. We all knew that nash no longer had a hold on this team, so why did the Nets keep him throughout the off-season and preseason only to let him go on November 1? It didn't make sense then, and it doesn't make sense now.
And why even consider Ime Udoka as a replacement? It was as if this team was actively courting controversy instead of avoiding it.
The only positive outcome is having Vaughn eventually take over. Under him, the Nets look to be thriving, though whether it's sustainable remains to be seen.
To be honest, Marks also should have let one of his big three guys go before the season even began. Maybe they should have even blown this core up in favor of building around say, Nic Claxton, and then playing for the Wemby sweepstakes. That would have been controversial, too, but much less vitriolic than their current stew of discord and misery.
