It’s been a long season for the Nets. Kyrie Irving’s awkward banishment and partial return; a knee injury that sidelined Kevin Durant for more than 20 games; Joe Harris’s second ankle surgery; and the fateful decision to trade James Harden to a conference rival for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. All are separate incidents that forced this team to take different shapes over the past five months.
It’s been chaotic, with only one of their franchise-record 40 starting lineups (Durant, Harden, Bruce Brown, Blake Griffin and Harris) having appeared in at least 10 games. Brooklyn is currently in eighth place, a precarious spot that requires victory in the play-in tournament before any run to the Finals can occur.
The Nets still inspire optimism, though. And one of the most obvious reasons for it might also be the most important: Brooklyn is a lot better on the road than any team fighting for a playoff spot should be, a fact born from Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated. (The 30-year-old is currently averaging 27.7 points on near 50/40/90 shooting splits in 20 games, all on the road.)
