Kyrie Irving's hero ball act isn't successful formula for Nets' offense
No one in the NBA has scored more points than Kyrie Irving through three games this season, but that's not necessarily a good thing for the Nets or their fans. With the team sitting at 1-2 and the Pacers and Rockets looming respectively starting Wednesday night, things could get ugly fast in Brooklyn.
Irving has been dazzling in three contests this year with his eye-popping handles and impressive accuracy from long range. The problem is, the Nets ball movement and man movement is lacking. Those were two things that spurred the team on to a stellar second half and playoff berth last season.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson is still getting a feel for his roster and how Irving fits as the centerpiece of the puzzle, but it's clear that adjustments need to be made in order for the offense to have more continuity. The isolation-heavy schemes are producing points, but against the upper echelon teams in the league including the: Pacers and Rockets, the Nets offense needs to evolve into something more sophisticated.
Brooklyn's bench has improved since its home opener last Wednesday, but Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, and Rodions Kurucs need an opportunity to shine with the second unit. The Nets depth was supposedly a strength heading into the season, but has failed to produce consistently throughout the first three games.
The Nets were known for playing team-ball last year and were one of the more entertaining teams in the league to watch with their unselfish play. Now, with Irving in the fold, Atkinson clearly wants to capitalize on his best player's talents, but selfless team ball has been and will remain the Nets best chance for a repeat playoff berth and to make some noise come April.
