NBA Preview: Are the Nets Top Dog in the East?

The Nets haven’t been a title contender for almost a decade. The Roc Nation takeover by Jay-Z was determined to change this by using his name to attract top talent.

Well, he was definitely right. The Nets have one of the best free agency periods in recent memory with the signings of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Both arguably the best pure scorers in the league right now.

The newly formed tandem has three NBA championships between the two of them. On any given night, Irving and Durant have the capability of dropping 40 or more points. Only accomplishable by maybe 10 other players in the league.

Although Durant missed all of last season, I have full confidence that Durant will return to form after a few games and resume being a top 5 talent in the league.

The Nets also tout a roster that is deep as anyone in the league and can match up against anyone they play.

The down-low game of Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan will prove formidable. Allen now emerges as a double-double threat entering his third season. Last year, he averaged 11.1 PPG and 9.6 RPG. DeAndre Jordan is also a double-double threat, even though he is past his prime. Last year, he averaged 8.3 PPG and 10 RPG. Both will be excellent compliments on the boards and have shutdown ability on the defensive end.

Irving and Durant aren’t the only ones who know how to score on the Nets. Spencer Dinwiddie set the Nets franchise record for most 20 point games off the bench. He picked up his play last season averaging 20.6 PPG and 6.8 APG. With fewer touches, expect his PPG total to drop a little but not much. Dinwiddie might be worth a look for the sixth man of the year award prop bet if his play continues into this season.

Chris LeVert is also another major scoring threat for the Nets. Last year, he averaged 18.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG. Like Dinwiddie, he will also receive fewer touches. However, I expect his numbers to be relatively the same as he continues to grow.

Joe Harris is also another player that can provide scoring for the Nets. He has elevated his play every single year in the league. He shot almost 50% the last three seasons and averaged 14.3 PPG last season. His field goal percentage will continue to be around 50% but I expect his scoring to drop by 2-4 PPG this season due to fewer touches.

You add all of these players together. This team might be the most dangerous team in the league on a night to night basis. They have the capability to absolutely destroy teams.

The Nets will cover the majority of the teams they play this season, especially against bottom tier and mid-tier teams. Lines as high as -7.0 against mid-tier teams will have value due to their scoring capability.

When facing the top teams in the league, lines of +4.0 will also have value. They will be able to match up against teams like the Lakers and Clippers, allowing them to keep games close with matchups. Plus money lines wagers against top tier teams will also be favorable, especially if they are on a losing streak. Don’t expect this team to lose back-to-back games too often.

I am predicting this team to finish 55-27 in the Eastern Conference. I would go higher on the win total, but it’s the first year this team has played together and will experience little growing pains at the beginning of the season.

The talent on this team suggests that they will make the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s time for Nets fans to finally rejoice.

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