Last summer, few NBA teams were a hotter item on the futures market than the Brooklyn Nets. When healthy, Brooklyn resembled the best fantasy basketball team that NBA betting money can buy. But that was the challenge. The Nets were hardly ever healthy. James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving were rarely on the court together. Since last season when the team was put together, all three had had various injury problems that have kept them apart. And it was injury issues that damaged Brooklyn’s playoff bid. Now the Nets have traded Harden to attempt to reset.
Brooklyn Nets SBG Futures Odds
| Nets | Odds |
|---|---|
| NBA Championship | +350 |
| Eastern Conference Championship | +175 |
Brooklyn Nets SBG Odds Analysis
Despite their challenges with fielding their starting lineup, the Nets remain the betting favorite to win the 2022 NBA Finals. This is a clear act of the public betting the come. Based on the perpetual injury problems of the Nets, that is quite a reach. In fact, the 2021 NBA Playoffs showed how injuries could affect the championship chase. Most of the top teams were knocked out because their best players couldn’t answer the call. And that trend has continued through the 2021-22 first half of the regular season.
Brooklyn Nets Season Overview
At the season’s midway point, the Nets were 29-24 straight up, 20-32-1 against the spread, and 24-28 under the total. Specifically, that put the Nets in the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn had NBA metrics of 10th for scoring offense, 15th for offensive rebounding, 20th for points allowed, and 17th for defensive rebounding.
On the whole, Brooklyn has been one of the worst values on the board. The reason for this is the flood of public money coming in on a team that rarely fields the lineup that it is paying mega-millions for.
Regardless, Brooklyn remains a favorite for the 2022 NBA Championship. That is a clear indication of their star power. As soon as Harden, Durant, and Irving joined forces, the Nets were touted as a dream team. Now, this terrific trio is blown up. Ben Simmons arrives from Philadelphia. Simmons was the scapegoat for the 76ers playoff flop last
James Harden was out of the lineup with a hamstring issue as the All-Star break approached. At the same time, Kyrie Irving continued to be out with personal issues related to vaccination. And then Kevin Durant was looking at a break of several weeks because of a knee injury. Thus, it was a good time to trade Harden for Simmons.
In sum, Durant played in only 36 of the Nets’ 53 games. And then Harden saw action in 44 offshore betting games, with Irving taking part in 12 games. All three players are productive when able to play.
Kevin Durant led the Nets with 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. Guard Kyrie Irving chipped in 23.2 points and 5.3 assists per game. In comparison, James Harden averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per contest.
Overall, head coach Steve Nash has exceeded pro basketball betting expectations. Nash has done an admirable job juggling the lineup. And he has engineered a modest improvement on the Nets defense despite the lineup issues. Commencing with the arrival of Ben Simmons, the Nets have the opportunity for a promising reboot.