JJ Reddick asserts Brooklyn Nets are a tier one team in the Eastern Conference
Former NBA player JJ Redick had nothing but praise for the Brooklyn Nets for their recent string of performances. Expressing his thoughts on the team in the latest episode of "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, Redick highlighted why he viewed the Nets as title contenders this season.
The Brooklyn Nets have been a team shrouded in controversy this season. After the trade rumor saga in the offseason, the team faced immense internal discord while dealing with personnel scandals as well.
Needless to say, this had an adverse impact on their performance earlier in the season. After a slow start, however, the Brooklyn Nets have miraculously corrected their course and now look like one of the best teams in the league.
With the firing of Steve Nash being the first domino to begin this process, the Nets have looked like an extremely potent unit under new head coach Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn's impact and philosophy has breathed new life into the team.
Pair this with the sustained offensive brilliance of Kevin Durant and the resurgence of Kyrie Irving, and the Nets have a winning formula on their hands.
Read: Kendrick Perkins lauds Kevin Durant on his 2-way performance for Brooklyn Nets: “He’s been in his bag like he got fries at the bottom”
With all-round integrity becoming their identity, Brooklyn has managed to rack up a 12-game winning streak as well.
In this regard, JJ Redick had to take note of everything the Nets were doing right. Speaking on the matter in "The Old Man & The Three", Redick also expressed his thoughts on viewing Brooklyn as title-contenders. He said:
"The best version of the Nets is what we're seeing right here. Since 2000, this is really interesting, when I think about the Nets and sort of where they are in the landscape of true championship contenders."
"Since 2000, every NBA Finals, has been top five in either defense or offense, sometimes both, but either defense or offense, except for two and they were top ten in both offense and defense."
Redick highlighted earlier in the episode that the Nets were fifth in offense and 10th in defense. In light of this, he continued by saying:
"It's hard for me, given how they've played over the last 29 games to not consider them a championship contender. They're probably right now, they're a tier one team in the Eastern Conference. I don't think you can dispute that. That's how good they are."
The Nets are looking like a championship contender.
Listen to the full episode of The Old Man and the Three Things with @jj_redick and @talter, only on @amazonmusic: wondery.fm/OM3Things-TW https://t.co/tGhMa32159
Ranked second in the East at the moment, the Nets have effectively turned their season around. With only one game behind the Boston Celtics as well, Brooklyn has a solid shot at taking the top spot in the East as well.
The Brooklyn Nets are virtually unbeatable at the moment
As mentioned earlier, the Brooklyn Nets were a team in disarray at the start of the season. However, as we approach the midway mark, the Nets have been nothing short of spectacular on both ends of the floor.
While Jacque Vaughn's coaching schemes could be viewed as a huge part of this, there are several factors that have worked in Brooklyn's favor.
A major one is Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's recent offensive synchronicity. The superstar duo were falling apart earlier in the season. Now, however, they seem more in tune with each other than ever before.
Don’t look now, but the Brooklyn Nets are the hottest team in the NBA.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving explained how the early outside noise didn't have an effect on the locker room in-house and why things are clicking so well. @basketbllnews https://t.co/H1apVWjKJH
The defensive contributions of Ben Simmons and Nicolas Claxton are another important factor. The bench boost led by TJ Warren and Yuta Watanabe certainly can't be overlooked either.
Overall, the Brooklyn Nets have just presented themselves as a cohesive unit with impeccable offensive and defensive capabilities. While factoring this in with their current momentum, it is safe to say that the Nets appear to be virtually unbeatable.