Brooklyn Nets: Time to Look Ahead at Next Year or Make a Playoff Push?

BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 18: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets high fives teammates before a pre-season game against the Toronto Raptors on October 18, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Still struggling to find wins as we close out what has been a brutal January for the Brooklyn Nets, one can make the case for and against a potential increased effort to push deeper into the NBA’s playoff picture.

After recently enduring two excessive losing streaks, separated by only a pair of somewhat forgettable victories, the Brooklyn Nets now find themselves on the ropes, barely clinging onto what only feels like an item off the NBA’s dollar menu: the Eastern Conference 8th seed.

While Brooklyn still possess a roster certainly flowering with enough star power to contend with other Eastern Conference powerhouses, they continue to perform oppositely, most recently giving up a game to the New York Knicks, losing by a 110-97 score.

Although the Chicago Bulls sit a few games behind Brooklyn, offering the team a small cushion between themselves and a potential season ending without a playoff berth, nobody expected the Nets to sink to such depths, especially after they got off not to a great, but good start. Nonetheless, thanks to some poor defense, injury woes, fourth quarter collapses, and inconsistent shooting, the 8 seed currently sits before the Nets on a silver platter whether they want it or not.

Knowledgeable of the few teams benefitting from this “runt of the litter” playoff spot which allows teams to briefly gain some spotlight, yet more importantly painstakingly denies them any chance to rebuild through the draft, the Nets now face a difficult decision regarding their team’s goals for this season.