It’s been another thrilling season of topflight basketball and it’s about to come down to the wire. Some NBA teams look assured of a place in the postseason, while others are still battling to remain in the playoff hunt.
One franchise with a strong ranking going into the 2022/23 campaign were the Brooklyn Nets. After threatening to go all the way to the Finals for the first time since 2003, it hasn’t quite gone to plan.
Battle ahead
After two relatively successful years in the hot seat, coach Steve Nash was fired after seven games of the regular season. A legend on the court, the Canadian had enjoyed a productive two years, but he was relieved of his duties after a 2-5 start.
Nash was replaced by Jacque Vaughn, a former Nets Point Guard who has seen the team respond in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. After 69 games of the regular season, Brooklyn have won 39 and lost 30. There’s a way to go, but the Nets face a battle just to make it into the playoffs, and they cannot afford any more slip ups in their remaining matches.
The independent verdict
The neutrals aren’t offering much hope for Brooklyn Nets fans. In terms of the overall championship, current NBA odds list the Milwaukee Bucks as the clear favorites, followed by the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns.
The Nets are way down in 16th place in this outright sports betting market. There’s little encouragement in the ratings for the Eastern Conference winner. Here, the Nets are behind the Bucks, the Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There is some way to go before a playoff place is secured but, once a team makes the postseason, anything can happen. It all comes down to the knockouts and a seven-game series. Assuming the Nets get there, just how deep can they go?
Key players
While Steve Nash was getting himself fired, Point Guard Kyrie Irving was finding himself in hot water following a social media post. Irving has since been traded to the Dallas Mavericks, leaving a big hole in Brooklyn’s offense.
Worse was to follow when Kevin Durant left for the Phoenix Suns. It’s almost impossible to effectively replace two giants of the game at short notice, but how has the remaining roster responded?
The long road back
It’s telling that Durant and Irving still top the overall stats table for the Brooklyn Nets. Of those that remain, Center Nic Claxton and Power Forward Royce O’Neale have been influential players in the latter half of the regular season.
Claxton leads the way in terms of points, rebounds and blocks, while O’Neale is producing solid numbers for Assists and Steals. Both men will clearly be pivotal to the Nets’ chances of sneaking into the NBA playoffs.
Other players who should be influential in the coming weeks include Spencer Dinwiddie, Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges. All three have ranked well across the season in their respective positions and they will need to maintain that form moving forward.
With Irving and Durant gone, there are big basketball shoes to fill at the Barclays Center, but this promising crop of youngsters suggest a bright future. The big question is, can they drive the Brooklyn Nets into the playoffs this season?
NBA standings
After those first 69 games of the season, the Brooklyn Nets found themselves in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. A 39-30 record left Jacque Vaughn’s men behind the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks.
The good news is that the Atlantic section is one of the best performing divisions in the whole of the NBA. This means that if we look at the overall Eastern Conference standings, the Nets are in sixth place and currently occupying a final playoff slot.
It’s vital that they keep winning. In a competitive division, there are some tough fixtures coming up and Brooklyn are not yet certain of that postseason place.
How far can the Nets go?
While the 2022/23 season promised much, the Brooklyn Nets’ campaign is one of transition. Steve Nash, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were important figures, but all have gone. In Nash’s place, uncertainty remains over the position of Jacque Vaughn.
While he has been upgraded from interim to Head Coach, speculation still persists that former Boston Celtics man Ime Udoka will ultimately take his place.
Irving and Durant have also been traded and it’s difficult to replace such huge talents mid-term. If they make it to the playoffs, Brooklyn will need to be at their best, while hoping that their opponents are below par. They can yet go deep into the postseason, but for the Brooklyn Nets, it’s about rebuilding for 2023/24.