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The Brooklyn Nets have had championship aspirations ever since they brought together Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. While the latter is now long gone, this team is still hungry to win an NBA title, but health has played a major issue.
KD missed substantial time this season with a knee injury, while Kyrie was only able to play part-time until recently. That being said, they remain in a play-in spot and at this moment in time, it means the Nets would need to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to make the postseason. It's very possible, but there is only one way this team is going to actually make their title aspirations a reality.
Here is the Nets' biggest roadblock to the NBA Finals.
The Nets' biggest roadblock to the NBA Finals
Defense
Sure, Durant and Irving can combine for 75 points per night, but it means absolutely nothing if you can't contain your opponent. The Nets rank 21st in defensive rating and to be frank, this has been a problem for Brooklyn since the early days of their superstar trio. The old saying is defense wins championships and it still holds truth to this day.
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The Nets allow 111.9 points per contest and just gave up 132 last week to a Memphis Grizzlies team that didn't even have Ja Morant. In that game, KD and Kyrie combined for over 70 points, too. Don't get me wrong, the Grizz are a well-rounded team, but this was a prime example of how poor Brooklyn is on the opposite end. Their two stars aren't exactly known for their defense and while Andre Drummond has helped them improve down low, they need a legitimate perimeter defender who can guard all five positions on the floor. Enter Ben Simmons.
The 25-year-old, who came over from the Sixers in the Harden trade, is still dealing with back soreness, but Steve Nash did say recently that Simmons could play before the season is over. If the Aussie isn't in the Nets lineup, there is absolutely not a chance they're making the Finals. Yes, he hasn't played since last summer when he famously collapsed in the playoffs, but if there is one thing you can rely on with Simmons, it's his defense.
There aren't a lot of players in the Association who can lock down anyone on a nightly basis. That's exactly was Simmons is capable of. He'll also make the Nets better in a variety of different ways, particularly when it comes to facilitating and rebounding, where they also rank in the bottom half.
Without Ben Simmons, the Nets will never win a title with this current squad. KD and Kyrie might be two of the best scorers the sport has ever seen, but it doesn't mean anything if any team can put up 120+ points on any given night against them.
If Simmons did nothing but defend at a high level, it would be more than enough to make an immediate impact for the Nets. He's undoubtedly going to space the floor and give shooters such as Seth Curry, Patty Mills, and Goran Dragic more good looks, but he is a two-time DPOY for a reason. For the Nets' sake, let's pray he makes his debut very, very soon. With the type of talent in the East who can get it done on both ends like the Heat, Bucks, and Sixers, this is a must for Brooklyn.
