It was bad. Then it got worse. Then it got ridiculous.
Before leaving for Orlando’s NBA bubble, the Nets knew they weren’t going to have the look they wanted. Kevin Durant had been out all season. Kyrie Irving underwent late season shoulder surgery. Hence, a series of COVID-19 cases triggered the renunciation by DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Taurean Prince. Wilson Chandler also decided to stay home.
Without so many significant contributions, the Nets compiled their roster with players who hadn’t been in the league all season, looking like a highly paid pickup team. The ninth-placed Wizards were close enough to force a play-in match. Missing the playoffs seemed the most attractive route, allowing the Nets to keep their pick in the first round, otherwise to Minnesota.
“Coming here, we had the lowest [outside] everyone’s expectations, “center Jarrett Allen said.” You can look on social media, you can just ask around, no one really had any expectations of how we would play. “
Uncertainty was also in the locker room, with new faces and an interim coach joining together after four months of isolation.
“For sure, I already had questions about it,” said Rodions Kurucs.
But August 4 ended with a 119-116 win over the Eastern Conference leader Bucks, scoring the third biggest upheaval – based on spreads, as a 19-point underdog – since 1990. Sunday came a 129-120 win. on reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and league contender Clippers, the Nets’ fourth win in their last five games.
Now, the once unrecognizable roster is enjoying unlikely thoughts.
“Obviously it has changed expectations a lot,” Kurucs said. “I think the biggest key has been our communication with us and that’s it. We worked hard on it and talked about every game, trying to understand how each kid thinks, the new guys who joined the team. We just talked about it and we made it and we’re doing great and we’re happy with it.
“These have been huge games for us and it’s just amazing how we play together. It’s a good boost of positive emotions for the kids. “
The Nets will play their penultimate regular-season game on Tuesday against the Magic. Two days later comes a meeting with the Trail Blazers.
But the future is in stone. The seventh-seeded Nets will face defending champion Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
There will be no pressure. The post-season expectation remains unchanged.
“This makes things easy for us by just going out there to play our game and just competing,” Allen said. “We know we can compete with anyone when we want.”
Caris LeVert made it possible.
Since the resumption of the season, the 25-year-old has averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals, taking over as the offensive facilitator in the absences of Irving and Dinwiddie. Playing the point, LeVert scored 27 points and 13 assists in the win over the Clippers.
“We talked about putting the ball in his hands and letting him create,” said interim coach Jacques Vaughn. “He’s picking up doubles now that he’s really increased our ability to get open shots.”
Vaughn has been 6-2 since taking over from Kenny Atkinson and has earned a more serious look at next season’s full-time job. Should it be offered to someone else, Vaughn will always have Orlando.
“This is going to be an experience that we will be linked forever, this group,” Vaughn said. “Remember this opportunity and what we do with it.”
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