The Nets are one of the more chaotic teams in the NBA because there are still many questions about Irving's situation. With some issues still in place, some people don't think they're a team that can win an NBA championship. The U.S. media listed three questions for the Nets for the rest of the season, as follows:
3. Will Owen be vaccinated?
The biggest question about the Nets is, of course, whether Irving will be vaccinated. If the Nets had played against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, without Irving in three or four of the seven-game series, they might not have been able to qualify. If the Nets have Irving on the court, they could be one of the best teams in the NBA, and possibly even the best in the NBA. The Nets' problem is that they can't have Irving at home, and their team lacks depth.
If Irving doesn't plan to get vaccinated and is still just a part-time player, it might be better for the Nets to take a different route. It's not easy to trade players like Irving at the moment because he's done a lot of weird things over the past few years, but if they can trade him for a player with similar talent, the Nets need to do that.
When Irving is on the court, there's no denying his talent, as he's undoubtedly one of the best players in the entire NBA. Unfortunately for the Nets, there are still a lot of questions about Irving and his state of the game.
2. Can Harden continue to play like he has played the past month?
Perhaps the biggest question about the Nets may be whether Harden can continue to play as he has played the past month. Earlier in the season, Harden didn't perform as well as he could, but that could be due to the NBA implementing new foul rules. Harden is one of the best foul-making players in the world, and he has been for most of his career.
If Harden doesn't play like he did last month and instead goes back to his early season form, the Nets won't win the NBA championship and they may not even be able to rush out of the East. If the Nets Irving series needs to miss three or four games and Harden can't play then?? Well, then the Nets will have a hard time beating the Bucks.
1. Can the Nets win an NBA championship?
The reason the Nets are able to compete for the NBA championship is because they have Durant. If the Nets didn't have Durant, they wouldn't be the number one championship contender in the East, and they certainly wouldn't be in the Finals.
What Durant can do this year is simply exciting. We've never seen a scorer like Durant. He currently averages nearly 30 points per game, tops the scoring list, and has 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, and he's done everything on the basketball court for the Nets.
The reason the Nets can compete for the NBA championship is because Durant is too good. The Nets don't have a lot of depth, and there have been some questions about Irving and Harden this season. If the Nets want to win an NBA championship, Durant needs to be the best player on the field in every playoff game they play.