The Nets Snapped their 11-Game Losing Streak, but their Turmoil Won’t be Over.

If you follow basketball at all, you would know that the Brooklyn Nets have gone through a tough 11 game losing streak that has seen them go from 29-16 to 29-27. During this streak, they have left behind 2018 “‘“‘MVP””” James Harden and traded for Ben “Can’t hit the broad side of a barn” Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers, in what is the most unlikeable trade in NBA history. This is the second team that Harden has deserted in a matter of three years, and I don’t have any doubt that he will be doing it again. He has practically refused to play for the Nets and was pretty much exposed as a tumor in Brooklyn’s locker room, and I bet he is elated to get out of there. Simmons also looks revitalized, saying that he has felt much better in Brooklyn than he was in Philly. A lot of people are saying that he was faking his mental health deterioration to get out of Philadelphia, but a change of environment can do wonders for a person. Even though I don’t like Simmons, I feel like he’ll be much better on the Nets.

The Nets core was made up of three players during this time span: James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. By the end of the streak, all of these players would be inactive or off the team.

The Nets losing streak started on January 23rd, with a loss against the Timberwolves. Although Kyrie put up 30, it wasn’t enough as they would lose 136-125 to kick off a gruesome losing streak. After another loss to LeBron and the Lakers, they would have some admittedly tough opponents, playing against the Nuggets twice, Warriors, Suns, Jazz, Celtics, and Heat; they would have some easier games against the Kings and Wizards. They would end up losing all of these games. They had a close 110-106 contest against the Warriors, and a Cam Thomas potential buzzer-beater didn’t go in a 113-112 loss to the Wizards. They got blown out by the Celtics at home 126-91, lost in Denver by 20, and in Salt Lake City by 23. But the real troubles started in Utah as well, as James Harden would refuse to get dressed. This ended up in an integral piece of Brooklyn not being able to play. It didn’t help that Kyrie was on and off, dealing with his ankle injury that would come back and nag him every couple of games.

After this, there started to be rumors of Harden being traded for the Sixers. This would be for Ben Simmons, a Sixer player who, like Harden, wouldn’t play for his team. Negotiations went on for a few more days, but on February 10th, the Nets traded away Harden and Paul Millsap for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2027 first round pick. A massive package for what might be a massive disappointment, as the Sixers got blown out with Harden in tow, 135-87. The Nets, however, have not had the chance to test Simmons, as Head Coach Steve Nash reports that he is out with a back injury for the time being.

However, another trade acquisition seems to have stepped up in their absence. Seth Curry had a great game against the Kings on Monday, scoring 30 and pushing the Nets out of their losing streak. Kyrie could be coming back, as they are taking his ankle injury day by day (but will likely be out for Wednesday’s contest against the Knicks and Thursday’s against the Wizards), but he could be back at any moment. So why are the Nets still in turmoil?

For the most part, KD and Simmons are still out. KD has an MCL tear, so he could be out for the rest of the regular season and maybe even the postseason. Kyrie is still inconsistent, and we don’t know when Simmons will play. A decent player in Joe Harris is out indefinitely as well. Blake Griffin has not been putting up numbers, averaging 6 PPG and 0.3 BPG. LaMarcus Aldridge is past his prime, still putting up decent numbers at 13.5 PPG, but they are nowhere near what he did when he was playing with Portland, or even where they were when he was in San Antonio. Millsap was a bust in Brooklyn and they needed to either trade him or cut him. Seth Curry seems good, but an extremely small sample size will not help him, especially with games against teams that aren’t even in the play-ins yet in Washington and the Knicks. Even if their Big 3 gets better, they have shown inconsistencies in their plays. Even the freaking Clippers got a better result than the last year. This trade got rid of a literal man child and could bring them new life in the coming seasons. But their window to win a championship is not coming this year. They have dropped from a top 3 spot to 4th in their own division. In my opinion, they will be lucky to reach the play-ins this year.

You can see the Nets attempt to recuperate after a tough losing streak on Thursday the 24th on TNT at 7:30 when they take on the Celtics after a week-long break. If they win and you’re yearning to see them taste defeat (like me), or they lose and you want to see them win, you can catch them again on the 26th playing the Bucks on ABC at 8:30. It’s sure to be a long and interesting week of professional basketball.