When the Brooklyn Nets secured both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving a few seasons ago, most people agreed they were favorites to make the NBA Finals.
Obviously, that just didn’t work out as expected.
The team has been dysfunctional, unlucky, and underwhelming at times.
That was most evident last season, as the Nets were the only team swept in the playoffs, falling to the Boston Celtics in the first round.
But was it really the fault of the team or the fault of a long, long list of absences?
Games missed last season:
Kevin Durant- 27 games
Ben Simmons- 86 games
Kyrie Irving- 53 games
Joe Harris- 72 games
Nic Claxton- 35 games
Seth Curry- 18 gamesThe most important thing next season is health, a majority of our core missed 25+ games.
— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) June 30, 2022
The numbers are pretty shocking: in the last season, Kevin Durant missed 27 games, Ben Simmons missed 86, Kyrie Irving sat for 53, Joe Harris for 72, Nic Claxton for 35, and Seth Curry for 18.
Yes, some of these missed games were avoidable but imagine if none of them happened.
Would the Nets be our new NBA champs?
Perfect Attendance
Let’s get this out of the way: yes the games that Irving missed were his own fault because he declined to get the COVID vaccine.
If he would have taken his shots, his team would have had him all season long.
The other absences, however, were due to injuries.
Durant’s stretch of missed games were the most damaging for the team, they plummeted through the ranks while he was gone and healing.
When they actually are healthy, this is a great group of players.
They are trying to move on from last season and forget that it even happened.
Moving forward, they will plan to stay healthy and, therefore, competitive.
If the Nets can avoid getting banged up, they might actually deliver on all that they’ve promised fans.
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