Brooklyn Nets: BIg 3 is Better Than Big 2
The Brooklyn Nets announced that Kyrie Irving would not be a part of the team as long as he was only a part-time player. Until he receives the COVID-19 vaccine, which would make him eligible to play in every game, he will remain away from the team.
Losing a player from your starting lineup is tough. When that player is as big of a piece to the puzzle as Irving is for the Nets, it is that much more difficult to overcome.
The Nets received a great game from Patty Mills off the bench but still got their doors blown off. The team is going to be hard-pressed to hang with and beat the upper echelon teams in the NBA without elite performances from Kevin Durant and James Harden.
Durant did his part, scoring 32 points with 11 rebounds and four assists. But, Harden wasn’t as impactful, shooting 6-of-16 from the field, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and eight assists.
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Those two combined for half of the team’s points, as they need others to step up. The aforementioned Mills scored 21 points off the bench, knocking down seven 3-pointers. Nicolas Claxton, who got the start at center, was the only other Net to score in double-figures.
There will be easier matchups in the future than the Bucks, but the supporting cast needs to step things up for Brooklyn. It will take a team effort to replace the production that Irving provided on a nightly basis.
