When Sean Marks and Steve Nash were plotting this season ahead of training camp, they couldn’t have imagined a start quite like this.
From Kyrie Irving’s absence due to his refusal to get vaccinated to James Harden and Blake Griffin’s struggles to several newcomers needing time to adjust to their new surroundings and teammates, very little has gone according to plan.
Except, of course, for the most important part of this team, the overriding factor in the Nets’ championship aspirations.
He’s scored at a high level, as expected, averaging 27.7 points. He’s shot an otherworldly 58.3 percent from the field, astronomical even for him. He’s defended, grabbed 8.9 rebounds per game and played with urgency, intensity and focus.
“He’s our guy — he’s The Guy,” forward Paul Millsap said after practice Tuesday. “We feed off of him and what he does. He carries our team a lot. We kind of need him to do that. We need him to be him.”
Durant’s efficiency and sheer brilliance have covered up for some of the Nets’ shortcomings. It has allowed additions like Patty Mills, LaMarcus Aldridge and Millsap to find their way. It gave Harden time to make adjustments to the new foul rules. At a time when the Nets needed their best player to perform like the premier player on the planet, he has possibly surpassed expectations.
The 33-year-old Durant’s first active season as a Net fell short of the desired goal, but not by any fault of his own. In the postseason, he notched 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Injuries to Irving and Harden, and a limited supporting cast, were the Nets’ downfall. It didn’t stop Durant from nearly lifting them past the eventual champion Bucks, falling just short in seven games.
The idea, after a strong offseason, was the Nets wouldn’t need Durant to be superhuman this year. But that was before Irving balked at getting the vaccine and Harden wasn’t himself early, placing an added burden on Durant.
“He’s played at an incredible level. Both ends of the floor,” Nash said. “His defense has been great. His rebounding. Some playmaking and scoring. Extremely efficient. Pretty important for us especially early when we’re finding ourselves.”
In time, the Nets will likely not need as much from Durant. Harden is starting to find his game, notching a triple-double in Sunday’s win over the Pistons and scoring 28 points in the previous contest against the Pacers. Aldridge and Mills have both enjoyed big games. The team will mesh and gain cohesion the more it plays together. Maybe Irving returns at some point.
“The rest of us, we’re still trying to figure it out, and we’re still trying to catch our rhythm and our flow,” Millsap said. “When we all catch up together, it’s going to hopefully be pretty special. We just need him to keep doing him.”
For now, though, the Nets are counting on Durant to carry them. Thus far, he has shown the ability — and the desire — to do so.