Nets 2021-22 season preview: How far can the Big 2 go?

The Brooklyn Nets are still one of the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference and play in the 2022 NBA Finals, but it certainly doesn’t appear to be as much of a lock as it might have been just one month ago.

Kevin Durant and James Harden are two of the greatest players of this generation and having them both healthy and available within Brooklyn’s ranks make the Nets one of the more imposing teams in the NBA. But the “Big 2” is not a “Big 3,” and that will continuously be the major talking point of this team’s season regardless of their fortunes.

Kyrie Irving will not be a part of the Nets in any capacity unless he gets the COVID-19 vaccine or if New York City rescinds its current protocols that require those inside venues like the Barclays Center to be vaccinated. If you’re a betting man, don’t count on either of those two options changing any time soon.

That means if the Nets are 10 games over .500, there will be plenty saying they could be five or 10 games above that mark if Irving was available. If they struggle, the impact of his absence will be endlessly debated.

So is life as one of the perceived elite teams in the NBA — something this organization has never really experienced whether they played on Long Island or in New Jersey before settling in Brooklyn.

Durant and Harden will undoubtedly post their monster statistics as long as they stay healthy — which isn’t a given considering the two spent just 301 minutes on the floor together last season.

In 35 games, Durant posted 26.9 points per game along with 5.6 assists while Harden averaged 24.6 points and 10.9 assists once he was acquired by the Nets. The two could certainly co-exist together, but the team obviously loses an additional punch with Irving not available.

It puts a significant amount of importance on a supporting cast that has been beefed up during the offseason.

After a decade as a super-sub in San Antonio, Patty Mills is slated to lead the Nets’ second unit off the bench while seeing a considerable uptick in play with Irving gone. Mills will serve as the main backup to both Harden at the point and Joe Harris at shooting guard.

While Bruce Brown will add defense at the small forward position, former All-Star Blake Griffin will back up Durant at the 4 spot. But where the Nets made their largest upgrade to an already strong roster is at center. LaMarcus Aldridge got the green light to play again after momentarily retiring due to health issues while the Nets also brought on proven veteran Paul Millsap to come off the bench.

Even a Kyrie-less Nets is a top-two team in the Eastern Conference as they and the Milwaukee Bucks are in a league of their own. In fact, a Kyrie-less Nets is still one of the very best teams in the NBA.

2021-22 Eastern Conference predicted standings