3 reasons why the Brooklyn Nets super team might fail to deliver in the 2021-22 NBA season
The Brooklyn Nets are early favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship, but things could go south for them in the blink of an eye. Many anticipate an NBA Finals game between the LA Lakers and the Nets. But they tend to forget that there will be an 82-game stretch in the regular season before the playoffs.
Steve Nash and the Brooklyn Nets' front office made significant mistakes that cost them a deeper run in the 2021 NBA playoffs. There was a disturbingly significant chasm between their offense and defense. Winning the 2021 championship with the 23rd worst-rated defense would have been nothing short of a miracle.
Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Nets crashed out of the championship race in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets, missing two members of their big three, had to play a solid Bucks team with a depleted roster.
The Brooklyn Nets have been eliminated from the 2021 #NBA playoffs. Here's how all members of the team fared on both ends of the floor during the postseason, per TPA. https://t.co/OfFSVQ9Ntr
The 2021-22 NBA season promises to be exciting, as teams have gone all out to compete for the title. A key takeaway from the Brooklyn Nets' offseason is that they learned from their mistakes, and have worked to rectify them ahead of the new season.
Nevertheless, there remains the possibility that the Brooklyn Nets may fail to deliver in the 2021-22 season. On that note, here's a look at three reasons why the Nets' super team might fall short of expectations this campaign:
#1 Kyrie Irving might be unavailable for the Brooklyn Nets' home games
Kyrie Irving was the joint top scorer for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season. But he might be unavailable for the Nets' home games at the Barclays Center. In 54 games played last season, he averaged 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and six assists.
The NBA has released guidelines for unvaccinated players like Kyrie Irving. He has already missed media day, and is unavailable for training camp. According to league rules, players who miss games because of being unvaccinated will not be paid their salaries for those games.
“Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he misses,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement to reporters.
New York City and San Francisco both require COVID vaccinations (in NYC, have at least one shot) to play
But that will be the least of Irving's worries. That's because local laws in New York City stipulate that athletes who do not have at least one dose will not be allowed to participate. Knowing Irving, he can be rigid in his ways, and may need a lot of convincing to take his first shot.
If he refuses to get vaccinated, he will end up missing the Brooklyn Nets' home games. Believe it or not, Irving is as important as the other members that make up the Brooklyn Nets' big three.