Any NBA team that adds two superstars should expect a change in identity. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant each are individual brands, and they’re also among the best offensive players in the league.
But Durant hasn’t played all season and isn’t expected to see game action in 2019-20. Irving has battled injuries himself, as well. So the Nets’ have had to identify their other strengths.
Not only have they done so, as their defensive effort has intensified, but the Nets are also starting to see the benefits of being unified on that end of the floor, which Kenny Atkinson talked to reporters about after Wednesday’s win over the Raptors:
We’re starting to get some chemistry with the guys and it’s flowing better on both sides of the ball. But, tonight was really a story about our defense. Going into the All-Star break — I know we [have] got 30-something games left, but we’re a top-10 defensive team. Obviously, offensively, we’ve got a ways to go. But that’s a nice — you know, you say ‘What was our identity?’ That looks like our identity right now, if you say pick one thing that the Nets are doing well. … We gotta continue that, then shoot the ball a little better.
Atkinson later added:
I think we’re starting to understand what that physicality means against the top teams, especially in the fourth quarter.
Now the Nets need to maintain their strong defensive play on the other side of the All-Star break.