Even without Kyrie Irving, opposing defenses know Nets can make them miserable

Does having Kyrie Irving out of the rotation make the Nets any easier of a matchup? A resounding no, says Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr.

Ahead of the Nets’ matchup against the Wizards on Monday, Unseld said Kevin Durant and James Harden are more than enough of a challenge for any team. The two are both newly minted members of the NBA’s top 75 players of all time, are both former league MVPs and are both three-time scoring champions.

“It’s one of those things where it’s never easy because just those two alone can really make life miserable,” Unseld said. He called Irving’s absence, “a good thing for us, adding, “It’s probably a bad thing for Brooklyn, but that’s life in the NBA. We’re without some guys too, so they’ll figure it out.

“Hopefully that won’t start tonight.”

The Nets have gotten off to a less than ideal start to the season without Irving, who the Nets ruled ineligible to play or practice with the team due to his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a city with a mandate entertainers do so. Their offense lacks the spark provided by Irving, who averaged 27 points and six assists per game last season on 50% shooting from the field, 40% shooting from three-point range, and 90% shooting from the foul line.

Yet just the sheer threat of a hot night from Durant, Harden or both, strikes enough fear into the opponent to forget about Irving’s production. It doesn’t always work that way, though. Durant scored 38 points against the Charlotte Hornets, but Harden only scored 15 and the Nets lost by 16.

HARDEN’S HAMMY

Nets head coach Steve Nash says Harden’s hamstring is to blame for his poor offensive start to this season.

Through the first three games of the season, Harden is averaging 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per game but is shooting just 39% from the field. Ahead of the matchup against the Wizards, Nash said his star point guard is still feeling the residual effects of the injury he suffered in the regular season that nagged him all the way through the playoffs.

“100 percent. That’s the part that is out of his hands, just the cards he’s dealt,” Nash said. “This summer he predominantly rehabbed, so finding that rhythm, finding that level of fitness, that burst, that confidence, that’s a lot. That’s not something that just comes back like that.”

Nash said Harden’s first day of playing full-court five-on-five was on Sept. 24, the Friday before the Nets left for training camp in San Diego. It was the first time Harden played basketball since the end of the Bucks series — when he returned early from a significant hamstring strain and played on virtually one leg.

“That’s not easy. It takes time,” Nash said. “Some people say it takes you as much time as you were off to get back to where you were before you got it, so that’s a challenge that he’s facing right now. We just want to support him. He’s still an excellent player even if he’s not at his peak form and he’ll get there. We believe in him and that journey is something we’re all part of.”

GUARD UP

Reserve guard Bruce Brown says the Nets don’t have an issue matching up against smaller, faster teams. He believes they just need to play better, and everything will work itself out.

The Nets have a roster full of older players, including Durant, 33; Harden, 32; Blake Griffin, 32; LaMarcus Aldridge, 36; Paul Millsap, 36; James Johnson, 34; and Patty Mills, 33. That roster did not fare well against a fast Hornets team that scored 19 points in fast break situations.

“I don’t think it’s harder,” Brown said of matching up against smaller, fast opponents. “It’s the third game of the season. ... We just have to get back. We just have to get on the same page defensively and we’ll be fine.

“We’ve just gotta guard. We’ve just gotta guard now. We’ve gotta communicate on the defensive end and just guard.”