As much as the Disney bubble was a unique event that hopefully doesn’t happen again, it exposed the Milwaukee Bucks a bit. Sure, the Miami Heat were on an absolute tear, but usually the team with the best player wins any series in the NBA — which is exactly what happened in the 2020 NBA Finals.
So to question the Bucks as the top team in the East heading into 2020-21 seems fair. Especially with Kevin Durant set to return and play alongside Kyrie Irving. With those two in Brooklyn, how can the Nets not be the preseason favorites to come out of the East?
Yet, when The Athletic polled a cast of NBA agents, 12 of the 19 replied “No” when asked, “Does having Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Steve Nash make Brooklyn the Eastern Conference favorites next season?”
One agent said Miami’s the favorite, another still sides with the Bucks. The Boston Celtics also receive praise — as did the Philadelphia 76ers, somehow.
A couple cited injury concerns as being the problem in Brooklyn, which is fair, but even those two were among those to mention the personalities on the Nets roster as being part of the problem.
“I think KD, if he’s healthy, is the best offensive player, and I buy Nash,” another agent added. “But I give Kyrie two months before he’s a malcontent. So, no.”
One agent compared Irving for former New Jersey Nets guard Stephon Marbury, expressed that to be a problem:
“No. No. Hell no. You’re banking on the highest level of volatility. It’s an impossibility. Kevin Durant is probably the best player in the NBA but Kyrie Irving is a total loose cannon and he’s not doing anything to show us anything but that right now. That’s going to be difficult. I hate to comment on people I don’t really know, but Kyrie is entering his Stephon Marbury phase. You can see it. It’s there. Basketball is not a priority for him.”
And there was even doubt among the seven agents who think the Nets are the favorites in the East next season:
“On paper, yeah. But you’re going to be covering some interesting stuff. There’s some interesting personalities there.”