Nets just trying to 'stay afloat' until Kevin Durant returns from knee injury
Nets forward Kevin Durant on the bench against the Clippers at Barclays Center on Jan. 1. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
WASHINGTON — The standings said the Nets (27-16) still were third in the Eastern Conference only a half-game behind the Bulls and Heat before facing the Wizards (23-21) Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. But now that they must survive for at least a month without injured Kevin Durant, the Nets figure to struggle until the All-Star break in mid-February.
So it seemed vital for them to make the most of their current stretch in which they play nine of 11 games on the road and have the services of Kyrie Irving, who is not eligible for games in New York and Toronto because he has not complied with the vaccine mandates in those cities. But the Nets were coming off a loss in Cleveland to begin their current four-game road trip and figured to have a tough time with the much-improved Wizards, who team former Net Spencer Dinwiddie in the backcourt with All-Star Bradley Beal.
"We have to continue to have growth as our project," coach Steve Nash said following the Nets’ shootaround Wednesday morning. "We’re here to try to get better. Winning and losing should be secondary to are we getting better every week? If we are getting better every week, we’ll win enough games to stay afloat here."
Nash acknowledged the challenge the Nets face without not only Durant (sprained left MCL) but also Joe Harris (left ankle surgery rehab) and Nic Claxton (left hamstring tightness). A total of 16 players have started a game for the Nets this season, which is three short of the franchise-record 19 that started last season.
‘Now, with Ky playing on the road, trying to incorporate him, get him back to himself, navigating all those things, some of it is just out of our hands," Nash said. "Hopefully, we can move this thing forward so when those guys do come back in, we’re in a better position and they move into a group that’s moving at a higher efficiency."
Asked if Irving might be putting pressure on himself to deliver at a higher rate in Durant’s absence, Nash said, "No, I don’t think so. I think Ky is really trying to fit into the group, trying to get his rhythm back. Obviously, you see moments where he’s outstanding and looks like he’s never left, and there’s other moments where it’s a new guy, playing with a bunch of guys he’s never played with and that takes time as well."
Without Durant Monday in Cleveland, Nash went with a small starting lineup that included three guards — Irving, James Harden and Patty Mills — along with rookies Kessler Edwards at forward and Day’Ron Sharpe at center. Mills is being counted upon to pick up some of the scoring slack, and he is averaging a career-high 13.4 points while shooting 42.0% from three-point range.
"We’re obviously facing some adversities at the moment," Mills said. "We seem like we’ve been dealing with adversity throughout the whole season. This is no different. In terms of making the most [of games] with Kyrie, yeah, sure. But at the same time, we’ve got to understand that we’re just trying to get better each and every day.
"If we can trend in that direction with who we’ve got at the moment, then when we get everyone back together and we’re in a better place, I think that’s the important thing. It’s about where we want to be at the end of the season and what we can learn now through this time with Kyrie and then when Kevin comes back down the stretch of the season. We’re just putting everything in the bank learning from our wins and especially learning from our losses about how we can become better from that."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
