Brooklyn Nets receive a B+ grade for their 40 first games of the season

The Brooklyn Nets According to an article, 27-13 were awarded a grade B+ for their performance during the first half season. published by NBA.com Monday. The Nets were currently at 27-13. They had just defeated the Miami Heat on Monday.

Brooklyn finished the season with a record of 25-8. They were one of two teams (the Boston Celtics was the other) to rank in the top 10 in both offensive rating and defense rating. In the weeks leading up to Miami’s win, the Nets had won over the New Orleans Pelicans as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks.

It should be noted, however, that Kevin Durant, the Heat’s superstar, suffered an injury to the right MCL during the game. Durant is expected to miss at most one month. Here’s what NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner had to say about the Nets getting their grade:

“All it took for the Nets to fulfill a lot of the expectations and projections for them was to focus on, y’know, the actual basketball stuff. By the time Brooklyn got past Kevin Durant’s offseason fussing for a trade, Kyrie Irving’s off-court actions, the uncertainty of Ben Simmons and the termination of Steve Nash as coach, this crew was 7-9. Since then, the Nets have been largely following the lines, going 20-4, with an 18-2 stretch that was the most successful in franchise history.

The challenge now is to ride out Durant’s knee injury, suffered Sunday at Miami. Durant at 34 had turned back the clock for a renewed prime — 29.7 ppg, 55.9% FG — and had helped the Nets to an 85-44 record in games he played since arriving in 2020. But they were 34-31 without him, pending this upcoming stretch for however long he’s out.

Irving is able to carry the primary burden. Will assistance from Simmons, Nic Claxton, Royce O’Neale and the rest be as effective in Durant’s absence as they’ve been? That’s the challenge for them and coach Jacque Vaughn.”

The Brooklyn Nets host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.