James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have played just seven games together.
That number might not increase before the playoffs, as Harden suffered a setback with his hamstring injury (and Durant remains sidelined with a thigh injury).
Nets:
James Harden Medical Update: pic.twitter.com/bQqj1BZ0ch
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 20, 2021
Nets coach Steve Nash, via SNY:
Steve Nash talks about the timelines to return for Kevin Durant and James Harden:
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 20, 2021
KD - day-to-day, "hopeful he can be back soon"
Harden - "He'll be back when he's back. That may not be 'til the playoffs, it may be sooner" pic.twitter.com/cW6Zzb3z3X
The playoffs are scheduled to begin May 22 – just more than a month from now. Nash didn’t say Harden would miss that much time. But Nash ought to realizing even raising the possibility raises eyebrows.
If Harden is sidelined that long, it could be a major problem.
Brooklyn’s talent offers a championship upside. The Nets have shown glimpses of elite play.
But questions remain about how Durant, Harden and Irving will fit together. It’d be nice if they had more opportunity to develop chemistry.
This setback could also leave Harden little time to return to form before the postseason.
The Nets (38-19, three games up for second in the East) have some margin for error. Brooklyn needn’t be peaking to win a first-round series.
But a potential matchup with the championship-contending Bucks could loom in the second round. That’s likely the absolute deadline for the Nets to get healthy and cohesive.
Unfortunately, they keep sliding the wrong direction.
