After a tumultuous start to the season, the Brooklyn Nets have turned their season all the way around. They are currently the hottest team in the NBA, riding a 10-game winning streak, which is an impressive feat given where they were about a month ago.
The Nets were still working out the kinks of having a new head coach as Steve Nash mutually agreed with the organization to step away. After pursuing suspended head coach Ime Udoka, the team opted to elevate acting head coach Jacque Vaughn to head coach following backlash.
Vaughn was working without a full deck, as the team also suspended Kyrie Irving after he shared anti-Semitic material on his social media. That kind of drama would send most franchises spiraling, but the Nets have managed to continue chugging along. What sets them apart from most franchises? It is the fact that they have Kevin Durant as a lynchpin.
Durant is putting together another magnificent season and is playing at an MVP level. He is healthy for the first time in years, playing in 34 out of 35 games thus far after appearing in only 90 the last two seasons combined.
LATEST NBA NEWS & MVP RACE: Kevin Durant & Brooklyn Nets Updates
He is currently in a league of his own averaging 29.9 points per game while making 56.0 percent of his shot attempts. According to StatMuse, there isn’t another player in the league averaging that many points while converts at least 55 percent of their shots. If he keeps up this pace, he will be the first player since Karl Malone in 1990 to accomplish that feat.
In addition to the efficient scoring numbers, Durant is also averaging 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 36.4 minutes per game. If the Nets continue winning and he keeps playing at this level, he will certainly garner some MVP attention at the end of the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & MVP RACE: Kevin Durant & Brooklyn Nets Updates
Putting the team on his back in this fashion, at 34 years old and considering how bleak things looked just a few weeks ago, is truly impressive. Durant showcases on a nightly basis why he is one of the best players in the world and why Brooklyn should be considered a legitimate contender this season as long as they can remain drama free.
