Adjustments the Brooklyn Nets need to make to succeed without Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving will not be suiting up for the Brooklyn Nets for the foreseeable future following the team's decision to suspend the guard from basketball activities. As such, the Nets roster is now short of an All-Star point guard who can conjure moments of magic out of thin air.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash isn't in new territory here. Irving missed multiple spells of game time throughout last season, and the team remained absurdly good during his absence.
A large part of the Brooklyn Nets' success without Kyrie Irving came down to their other two star players: Kevin Durant and James Harden.
With Irving out indefinitely, the first port of call for Steve Nash will be to embrace Harden's scoring potential. When the Brooklyn Nets acquired "The Beard" from the Houston Rockets last season, many questioned the teams' ability to find touches for three ball-dominant superstars. Harden responded by taking on the role of facilitator, which he thrived in.
Harden said in a Brooklyn Nets press conference:
"We all know how valuable and important Kyrie is to this organization and where we're trying to go, so him not being here is a big hit for us. But, we have guys that need to step up and fulfill those needs, including myself. And do whatever it takes, on both ends of the ball to make sure things are working and that we're continuously getting better as things move on."
However, with Patty Mills likely to replace Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup, James Harden can re-position some of his focus onto scoring the basketball.
James Harden is so good lmao https://t.co/JYeMTv27mX
Of course, this isn't the Houston Rockets, and isolation after isolation will not go down well with Durant. However, these two players have operated on the same team before and are well-versed in playing off each other.
Another way the Brooklyn Nets can minimize the impact of losing Kyrie Irving is to pivot to a more egalitarian brand of basketball. In such a system, guys like Joe Harris will be utilized more in half-court sets. Multiple aging stars reside on Brooklyn's bench, from Paul Millsap to Blake Griffin, all of whom can provide an offensive punch if put in the right situation.
Patty Mills' primary task will be creating offensive opportunities for the teams' elder statesmen and trusting that Durant and Harden will find their offensive touch within the flow of the game.
Luckily for the Brooklyn Nets, offense is their only concern when it comes to replacing Kyrie Irving's impact. While the point guard has shown growth on the defensive end of the ball, his absence will not cause many headaches when replacing him on that side of the ball.
Steve Nash has nothing more to say about Kyrie's playing future 🙅♂️ https://t.co/0y5PjM73nJ
Mills and Harden are both capable of fulfilling point guard duties and putting in a shift defensively. In fact, Harden is one of the most underrated defenders in the league for the guard positions.
If Nash wishes to keep Mills coming off the bench, he may opt to run Harden in the point guard role to ensure ball movement and offensive creation in the second unit.
Harden had his best season as a playmaker last year and proved to be exceptional at creating offense for others and himself. He also showed a willingness to push the pace when teams didn't get back on defense quickly enough.
There will also be times when Durant will be tasked with handling the ball due to his size and ability to pass out of double-teams on the perimeter. However, beyond the trio of Mills, Harden and Durant, you should expect to see the remaining rotation operate in a largely off-ball role.
Perhaps Joe Harris and Bruce Brown Jr. will show upside in a minimal ball-handling role and find themselves with an opportunity to initiate the offense from time to time.
In reality, the Brooklyn Nets roster has many secondary creators who can fill in on a per-possession basis should an opposing defense do a good job at shutting down initial passing options.
In terms of adjustments, the Brooklyn Nets will likely run a similar offense to what they did last year when Kyrie Irving was unavailable to participate in games. Harden's presence on this roster and the evolution of his playmaking abilities have vastly softened the blow of losing Irving for what appears to be this season at a minimum.
Only time will tell if we shall see "Uncle Drew" lighting up the basketball court again in the near future. However, the Brooklyn Nets will still be championship contenders this year, with or without their All-Star point guard.
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