The Brooklyn Nets have been able to turn their season around in shocking fashion after a 2-3 start, as Kevin Durant and James Harden have pushed this team to eight wins in their last nine games. The offense is finally starting to pick things up once again.
The Nets did not look comfortable playing without Kyrie Irving when the year kicked off, and their early-season losses appeared as if team was trying to replace someone that could score 25 points every single night. Often times, the best approach is to just let Durant do his thing on offense.
Durant is currently leading the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game, helping the Nets find what has been a nearly unbeatable blend of offensive creativity. Ever since Brooklyn was taken down by the Heat, Durant has put up numbers that are almost impossible to comprehend.
The former scoring champ has averaged 29.5 points per game on a ridiculous 65% shooting dating back to Oct. 29. Some rim-running centers don’t even have a shooting percentage that high, yet KD is managing to pull that off while scoring from deep and creating for himself in mid-range situations.
Nets have won 8 of 9 since their loss to Miami on Oct. 27.
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) November 15, 2021
Kevin Durant is averaging 29.5 points on 65.2% shooting during that span. pic.twitter.com/yViCYqp41W
Kevin Durant has been carrying the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant has scored at least 28 points in each of the last three games, and he hasn’t taken more than 17 shots in any of them. Against Orlando, Durant scored 30 points and missed just one of his 12 shots, proving that he’s an incredibly efficient scorer.
Additionally, he has scored 20 or more points in every game this season. If he hits that point total against the Golden State Warriors, he’ll tie Karl Malone’s record for most consecutive 20-point games to start a season by a player 33 years old or older. This is almost unprecedented scoring at his age.
Oh, and he has the best rebounding numbers of his career.
Kevin Durant has started the season with 14 straight 20-point games, 1 shy of tying Karl Malone (15 straight in 1997-98) for the longest streak to begin a season by a player 33 or older, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) November 15, 2021
The Nets will need James Harden to continue playing well while supplementary pieces like Joe Harris and DeAndre’ Bembry must sustain their hot starts, but Durant will unquestionably be the top piece when it comes to making sure this team has all the necessary facets to contend this season.
KD and the Nets may need to adjust if Irving comes back at some point this season, but considering how the two-time NBA champ has adapted on the fly to this new offense and continues to put up numbers that have him firmly in the MVP race, he should be able to take that in stride and keep Brooklyn atop the East.
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