Kenny Smith on the Nets: 'Even without Kevin Durant there, they should be contending for the East'

Nets have all they need to win the East.

Nets fans shouldn't temper expectations for their team competing for a berth in the NBA Finals this year, according to former Rockets guard and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith.

“Brooklyn should be better – that’s the expectation. Even without Kevin Durant there, they should be contending for the East," noted Smith.

While the team refuses to set a timeline on Durant's return from injury, Smith feels that the Nets have enough firepower and championship experience with Kyrie Irving leading the point to overcome not playing with their best player.

“Basketball is a team sport like no other. If you look at Toronto last year, it wasn’t a duo that bought them the title. There was a really great player in Kawhi Leonard with really good players around him that understood how to play well. That structure is always going to be more consistent than two guys or three guys dominating because that becomes too much weight to carry.”

Smith's praise for Kenny Atkinson's system is worth noting, as the former Hawks assistant has the Nets playing at a breakneck pace by spreading the floor and shooting volume 3-pointers along with attacks on the rim to make his group 7among the league's top offenses.

Many questions surround Kyrie Irving's leadership ability and his poise and confidence to be "the guy" on a team. Irving forced his way out of Cleveland to get out of the shadow of LeBron James as he wanted an opportunity to be a franchise's leader in Boston. Irving missed the majority of the Celtics 2017 season including the playoffs as the team rallied to reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals before bowing out to The King one game shy of the NBA finals.

Last year, the team underachieved immensely as locker room discord and lack of chemistry saw the Celtics fall to the Bucks in five games in the semifinal round.

Now with the opportunity to lead his favorite childhood team back to the Finals for the first time since Jason Kidd took the Nets to back to back improbable runs in 2002 and 2003. Smith's opinion is not a popular one, but he is one analyst that sees the potential and star power in Brooklyn's supporting cast even in the absence of Durant for the majority if not all of this upcoming season.