BUZZER BEATERS
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Kyrie Irving. And that’s only because it could be hard to watch Durant’s rehab. (Although new Nets CEO David Levy says they might share tons of Durant rehab content, so maybe not…) It’s hard to imagine a top-10 or top-15 player in the world — and arguably the best finisher in the game — being dogged by so many questions. Leadership. Durability. Blah, blah, blah. Then you watch him play, watch him get by every single defender put in front of him, watch him dissect every opponent, and you’re reminded why he’s box office. Must-see.
MOST IMPORTANT DECISION
One could’ve said accurately judging Durant’s health, or whether to give Prince a rookie extension — which they did just under the wire at Monday’s deadline. But in the end, that choice to lock Prince up with a two-year, $29 million deal ties into the most important call the Nets will have to make; and that’s whether to patiently stay the course or go for the brass ring. Brooklyn’s stable roster provides a four-year window, with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan and Caris LeVert all under contract through 2022-23, and Spencer Dinwiddie, Nic Claxton, Rodions Kurucs and Dzanan Musa locked up until the season before that, all but Dinwiddie on rookie deals. Basically, they’ve amassed a deep roster that still has some pieces. But if they find themselves in a tight fight for the standings, or a star unexpectedly becomes available at the deadline, what does Marks do?
GOOD DAYS TO COME
Irving could be in for a career year. Atkinson has coaxed career campaigns out of every point guard who has started for him as a head coach or assistant, including DeAngelo Russell, Dinwiddie, Jeff Teague and Jeremy Lin (twice). That’s a high bar for Irving, but don’t be shocked if he clears it.
BAD DAYS AHEAD
Wilson Chandler already was suspended 25 games for PEDs before he’d even suited up for Brooklyn. Now it begs the question of whether he ever will. Prince and Kurucs are higher on the food chain, and Claxton looks promising. The day he’s slated to come off suspension is the same day he becomes eligible to be traded.
DON’T BE SURPRISED IF
The Net most likely to win an NBA statistical category turns out to be … Jordan. The alltime career leader in field-goal percentage topped the league from 2012-17 before “falling” to second in 2017-18. After a down season a year ago, Jordan could bounce back and finish No. 1 again.
STORY THAT WON’T GO AWAY
Saying Durant is almost too easy, like picking low-hanging fruit. But the storyline that’s actually become an international controversy and been both divisive and overly dramatic on both sides of the world has been China versus the NBA.
The Nets and Tsai have found themselves in the middle of it. Much has been made of China’s rancor towards the league and muzzling of the Nets and Lakers on their trip; now the issue followed the Nets home.
With the league’s interests in China estimated at between $4 billion and $5 billion, this is a problem that’s going to linger.