The Brooklyn Nets have yet to put it all together consistently with their Big 3, as they are just 16-12 on the season and 9-6 since trading for James Harden. Some of those losses are the product of not having all three of their stars — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden — all on the floor together for various reasons, but some of it has been the result of some truly horrific defense.
Still, even factoring in a defense that is porous at best most nights, when the offense is rolling there are few if any teams in the league that can keep up with them. That was the case on Saturday night when the Nets drubbed the Warriors, 134-117, in Durant’s return to the Bay for the first time since departing the Warriors in 2019. The Nets’ Big 3 combined for 62 points, 26 assists, and 18 rebounds on the evening as they cruised past Stephen Curry and company.
The Warriors know exactly how good a team can be with Durant playing at his best, and because of that, Draymond Green wasn’t shy about declaring the Nets as the team to beat in the East, via CBS Sports.
“I think there are some other good teams in the East that poses a threat to them, but, they’re the team to beat in the East if you ask me,” Green said. “It’s my opinion. That doesn’t mean anything, but that’s my opinion, they’re definitely the team to beat in the East.”
It’s not a surprise that Green would say that coming off a loss to the Nets in which the Warriors saw them at their offensive best. As a team, Brooklyn shot nearly 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range, as they lit up the W’s on the road. Still, Green knows as well as anyone the importance of being able to get consistent stops as a championship team and while he may not be completely dialed on the Nets nightly, their defensive struggles aren’t a big secret — 25th in defensive rating, per NBA.com/stats.
That speaks volumes, at least to me, of just how good this offense is and how dangerous other teams and players view this offense, that a player with an identity of a defensive player like Green would be willing to overlook all of their warts on that end and still proclaim them the favorites in the East. And, to be honest, he’s not wrong. The Bucks and Sixers are the other teams that you’d likely place in the same tier as the Nets in the East, and both of those have much stronger defensive profiles but plenty of questions on the offensive end, particularly in late-game situations. That is an area the Nets will have an advantage over most any team in the NBA, with three players capable of creating a great look for themselves or their teammates, while the Sixers and Bucks can, at times, find it difficult to make that happen with most anyone on the roster.
Brooklyn finding a base level of competency on defense is going to likely determine their fate come playoff time, but even right now as they figure that out, Draymond has little doubt in his mind as to who the favorite in the East is.