The Brooklyn Nets (13-11) are more than one quarter through their 2023-24 season and while they have dealt with some crucial injuries, the Nets have been able to win more games than expected. Brooklyn has seen some players break out, but has also seen some players struggle to get through the season.
From the beginning of the season, the Nets have not been healthy. Per Spotrac, Brooklyn has lost 67 games due to injury (tied for ninth in the league) and have had 11 different players miss at least one game due to injury. More to the point, Ben Simmons has missed 18 games for the Nets mostly due to the nerve impingement in his lower back.
With that being said, this season has been a good one for the Nets considering the injuries that they’ve had to deal with thus far. They have solid wins over the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and Orlando Magic, just to name a few of the good teams that Brooklyn has beaten over the first 24 games.
It should be mentioned that the Nets have had discouraging losses to teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks in games that show that Brooklyn is a tier or two below those teams. The Nets’ worst loss of the season was losing to the Charlotte Hornets 129-128 on Nov. 30 as they allowed a Hornets missing several players to make that game more competitive than it was expected to be.
According to ESPN, Brooklyn is 6-9 against teams that are .500 or above, but are also 7-2 against teams that are below .500. As most expected, the Nets are around a middle-of-the-pack team that has no problem taking care of the bad teams, but will struggle against some of the better teams in the NBA.
Brooklyn has also seen players like Cam Thomas and Lonnie Walker IV break out and make some major contributions to the team winning games along with the growth of players like Day’Ron Sharpe and Nic Claxton. The Nets may not have an All-Star this season, but they have shown that they have plenty of good players on the team.
With all of this being said, what is the grade for the Nets through their first 24 games of the season?
Grade: B+
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