Traded Harden, a superstar, from the Rockets last season to form the Big Three Nets, would have had a real chance of reaching the Finals last year if it weren't for injuries. In order to allow the team to continue to maintain the possibility of impacting the championship this year, the management has also signed a number of strong role players in the offseason to seek another promotion in the lineup. Before the start of the season, ESPN experts specifically predicted the overall championship for the new season, while 78.9% of experts believed that the Nets could win the championship, and the Lakers and Bucks were in second and third place, respectively.
And in the case that this season has been almost 2/3, the Nets' ranking does make these experts a little embarrassed, as of now, the Nets have suffered a wave of 11 consecutive losses, currently temporarily ranked eighth in the East with a record of 29 wins and 27 losses, and what is even more lamentable is that Harden, who just joined the team last season, has been sent to the 76ers by the team before the trade deadline, and if Simmons cannot improve on the offensive end, the Nets' prospects for this season will not be optimistic.
In fact, at the beginning of the season, the Nets under the dual leadership of Durant and Harden, once also achieved the top three in the East, and after Irving was allowed to participate in the team's away games, the Nets of the big three were re-assembled, and once the Bulls who were at the top of the Eastern Conference were washed with 26 points of blood, so that the team rekindled the hope of impacting the championship, but unfortunately the good times were not long, Durant will miss at least 1 month of games because of knee injuries, plus Irving can only play away games, The big three became the dilemma of only Harden to lead the team, and the coach Nash was very dependent on the three cores, and in the case that only Harden could play, the Nets were also defeated after that.
To make matters worse, after Harden also because of the hamstring injury as a sideline, Nash had to let the veteran Mills and rookie Thomas to take on the responsibility of the backcourt, seeing that he and his original championship plan gradually drifted away, Harden also revealed the intention of leaving, successfully escaped the bitter sea of Brooklyn before the trading market closed the door, and went to the 76ers to start a new chapter in his career.
In the case that Durant continues to be injured and Irving can still only play away games, the Nets' strength has shown a cliff-like decline, from the hot team that was once the most likely to win the championship, and now it can only rank eighth in the East, not only these ESPN experts, but even the Nets have not expected it. In order to save the decline, the Nets can only hope that Durant can return as soon as possible, as the net's number one offensive hand, Durant can average 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season, when Irving was absent, Harden was also sidelined by injury, the Nets relied on Durant's single core to stabilize the team, but as he also fell due to injury, the team could only accept the cruel reality of falling out of the top six.
Given that new signing Simmons has not played a game this season, and his projection is always a dead hole, it is basically unrealistic to expect him to help the team stop the decline, if the Nets really want to turn the situation around, they must hope for the combination of the new big three, in Irving and Durant, the two super attackers, Simmons can also perfectly block his projection weakness, so as to give full play to his advantages in the organization and defense.