NBA Power Rankings week 16: OKC Thunder and teams post deadline
17. team. 147. . 23-28. Previous: 20th. Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets:
Offense: (107.3) 22nd
Defense: (107.9) 10th
Net: (minus -0.6) tied 15th
Results Week 16: (2-1) Won vs. Suns 119-97, Warriors: 129-88, Lost vs. Raptors: 118-119
Games Week 17: (2 games) Mon at Pacers | Weds vs Raps
A few factors are playing in the Nets favor including the fact the lower end of the Eastern Conference isn’t exactly pushing Brooklyn to usurp their spot on the ladder.
The other key is the return to health and ascendence of Caris LeVert who reminds everyone how talented he is when he can stay on the hardwood. The question regarding the young guard is can he stay on the court? Throughout this college and pro career, he’s had the misfortune of injuries but at some point, he’ll need to deliver a close to full season to avoid being considered injury-prone.
If he can then he’d have an argument to be an All-Star because his game is full of goodies. Through three games this week he posted a stat line of 29.7 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and one steal. He shot a ridiculous 68.8 percent from deep on an average of 5.8 attempts.
Moving forward, when Kyrie Irving returns to the court from his current knee injury the question is whether Kenny Atkinson can find a way to mesh LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Irving all together and get the most bang for the buck from all three.