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At the moment, the Brooklyn Nets are in possession of a 21-9 record which has them sitting at the very top of the Eastern Conference. The scary part about all this is that they're about to get one of their superstars back in Kyrie Irving, albeit as a part-time player.
The Nets can only get better once Kyrie returns to action. As a matter of fact, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose believes that Irving's comeback should help teammate James Harden get out of his funk:
“I think once Kyrie returns, he re-energizes (Harden) and starts to be a little more engaged,” Rose said on a recent episode of ESPN's Jalen & Jacoby show. “I’ve seen moments where we saw the throwback James Harden of Houston. But, I’ve seen too many moments of him not looking like one of the Top 75 players of all time. And if you don't believe me, there are so many stats to prove this.”
It is clear that Harden isn't playing his best basketball right now. The Nets superstar is averaging just 20.8 points per game, which is the lowest scoring output he's had since the 2011-12 season with the OKC Thunder. He's also shooting 40.4 percent from the field — a career-low for him since his rookie year.
Nevertheless, Jalen Rose is adamant that Kyrie's return will only serve to motivate James Harden:
“I thought when Kyrie Irving was not playing, the James Harden productivity would be elite. It has not been,” Rose said. “He has not even really been ballin’ like we know he’s capable. So, I think putting Kyrie back re-infuses Harden as well, because KD has been terrific.”
The fact that the Nets are one of the best teams in the NBA right now, despite the issues they're currently facing, speaks volumes of the potential of this squad. Once they are at full strength (well at least relatively), then there aren't too many teams out there, if any, that could beat this side. The Nets were considered title favorites prior to the start of the season and if anything, they've proven thus far that they are worthy of this title.
