Hello, Kevin Durant. See you soon, James Harden.
One superstar is ready to rejoin the Nets, just as another is headed for a prolonged injury absence. Really, what could be more appropriate in this disjointed season?
Durant, who has missed the past 23 games with a left hamstring strain, is “likely” to play next to Kyrie Irving against the Pelicans on Wednesday. But the Big Three won’t be whole for at least another week as Harden is sidelined with a right hamstring strain revealed by an MRI exam on Tuesday. According to the team, he will continue to rehab and be reevaluated in about 10 days.
The Nets have preached, “There’s still time” for the entire team to be healthy right away and for the playoffs at every turn since late February, when Durant’s absence was extended until the NBA All-Star hiatus. He averaged 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 19 games and handed the MVP candidate torch to Harden.
Seventeen games have come off the schedule since then, and coverage didn’t change every time Durant’s schedule was moved, or when Irving missed three games for family reasons, or when LaMarcus Aldridge made his debut in a line-up without an injured Harden.
Now there are 21 games left, Harden, Landry Shamet (ankle sprain) and Tyler Johnson (knee pain) are out, and Blake Griffin (knee) is not going to play in either game when they are back-to-back evenings planned.
So, here’s the question to ask when it comes to the idea that the fully assembled nets are all recovering from injuries and evolving for the playoffs. Is there still time?
The best scenario – unlikely, if Durant’s recovery is a measure of Harden’s – is 16 games to treat as a playoff warm-up schedule.
“Just hope those guys rest, heal strong and they come back and we’re ready to go,” said forward Jeff Green after Harden went down in Tuesday’s win against the Knicks.
The Nets may not have an alternate “hoping” strategy after using 25 different starting lineup combinations and 16 different starters. The longest run of the same starting grid is four consecutive games.
“I felt like we were just starting to understand each other – James, Kyrie, myself and different floor setups,” Durant said last week of the chemistry for his injury. “That’s more of what I’m worried about.”
Even when the group is finally completely healthy, can they stay long enough to find a rhythm before the playoffs begin on May 22? With a top three seed in the Eastern Conference almost certainly, the Nets have a margin of error.
But Harden expressed an urgency for his injury, saying, “It looks good on paper, but we really need to get out there and go.”
The Mets’ “hope” of a five aces dream – Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler – was left intact through the rotation for four seasons for three turns.
The Giants’ hopes for a full complement of offensive playmakers – Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Evan Engram – manifested for a quarter of a game out of 32 that became quarterback Daniel Jones during the first two seasons. played.
Sometimes it is not the intention.
“You decide what you can control, and it’s a shame,” said Nets sniper Joe Harris.
The core of the Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holliday) and 76ers (Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons) will not learn each other’s tendencies on the field in the playoffs. And the Nets’ cast of over-performing injury fill-ins are no match for toe-for-toe when contenders cut their rotations.
Harden, Irving and Durant have played seven games together since joining forces. Harden, Irving and Griffin played three together. Irving, Griffin and Aldridge played one together. Harden, Irving and Aldridge together lasted a quarter of a game. Harden, Irving, Griffin and Aldridge haven’t played together yet.
A projected starting line-up of Harden, Irving, Aldridge, Durant and Harris has played together less than a minute.
It’s possible that the Nets’ cautious approach is the magic touch, and a completely healthy setup only needs a few games to strike the right chord. There’s enough pure talent – 41 career All-Star squads – on the roster to make the lack of prominence a moot point.
“It’s the regular season,” said Irving, “so we’re trying our best to find some motivation to play at a high level every game. … I think we’ve learned a lot about each other.”
There is still more to learn. Fast.