Nothin' But Nets
Fansided

Nets incredible roster record vs Warriors proves they should be favorites

ByJerry Trotta|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 22: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against Brad Wanamaker #10 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Barclays Center on December 22, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 22: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against Brad Wanamaker #10 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Barclays Center on December 22, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The Nets need to be championship favorites after their dominant season-opening win over Golden State.

After the Brooklyn Nets finalized their roster ahead of the 2020-21 regular season, fans were skittish about how head coach Steve Nash would deal with having an abundance of mouths to feed in his first year at the helm.

When you consider that they have a platoon of substitutes and can deploy a handful of different lineups that can go out and dominate their opposition, those reservations were warranted. We honestly had the same concerns heading into the campaign.

However, if we learned anything from Brooklyn’s season-opening blowout win over Golden State on Tuesday night, their loaded roster shouldn’t be much of a problem for Nash to navigate around, as they became the first team in NBA history to play 15 (!) different players in a regular season or playoff game.

Let’s be honest: if there was any team in the NBA capable of breaking this long-standing record, it’s obviously Brooklyn. However, not in a million years did we think it would happen in the first game of the season, especially considering that they have a starting five that could’ve benefitted playing extra minutes together. Blowouts gonna blowout, though.

We’re not sure if this record is more of a testament to the Nets’ depth or how lopsided their victory over the Warriors was — the game was really over by halftime — so we’ll settle for a mixture of both.

For added context, all 10 of Brooklyn’s bench players got in the game. Each of them logged at least six minutes of action, three logged more than 20 minutes, and five spent more than 16 minutes on the floor.

The unsurprising standout of the bunch was bubble standout Caris LeVert, who picked up right where he left off during the restart, registering 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals (to go with a +17), while shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

We’ve been trying to warn rival fans that the Nets should be the consensus title favorites — yes, that includes the Lakers, Clippers and Bucks — and this record proves that they should come to their senses and jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late. This team is simply too star-studded and too deep.