NBA Insiders: Five big questions we can’t wait to see answered in 2022-23
The NBA’s two biggest offseason questions — the futures of Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell — have been answered. But while the Brooklyn Nets seem on track to run it back with their current core intact, the drama at Barclays Center is far from over.
Will the Durant-Nets partnership survive the rest of the season after such a public airing of grievances this summer? Will Ben Simmons, who still has yet to debut for his new team since being traded to Brooklyn before the February trade deadline, make an immediate impact?
The Nets, just like last season, will surely keep making headlines. So will the Los Angeles Lakers, who welcome a new fiery point guard into the mix. Can Russell Westbrook, buried in trade rumours all summer, now coexist with Patrick Beverley in the same backcourt?
Our NBA Insiders are examining the questions they want to see answered throughout training camp and the start of the 2022-23 season, including what lies ahead for the defending champions’ youngsters, key players returning from injury for the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls and MVP contenders who played big minutes at EuroBasket.
Where it stands
Kevin Durant: Rescinded his trade request on Aug. 24.
Kyrie Irving: Opted into the fourth year of his contract on June 27.
Ben Simmons: Has not played since the 76ers’ Game 7 loss in the 2021 East semifinals.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Nets have a few questions hovering over them heading into the season.
Durant remains in the fold — for now — and Brooklyn is confident its offseason drama can give way to winning basketball. The organization has revolved around Durant since the moment he signed three years ago, but it’s unclear whether the relationship will survive the entirety of the season, let alone the four years remaining on his deal.
We have heard next to nothing this summer about Simmons, who will have been out for 16 months when the Nets begin their season in Brooklyn against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 19.
The Nets announced in May that Simmons had successful microdiscectomy surgery, shortly after the Nets’ suffered a first-round sweep against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. Brooklyn expects Simmons to “make a full recovery prior to the start of training camp.”
More so than just about any NBA team, the Nets are defined by a series of ifs. But if Durant, Irving and Simmons are all available and on the court this season at Barclays Center, the Nets are capable of becoming the title contender they were projected to be in 2021-22.
Simmons is, in theory, the perfect player to play alongside Durant and Irving. Simmons is a 3-point shot generating force who, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, has assisted on 996 3-pointers in his career, the second most in the NBA from 2017-18 to 2020-21, trailing Russell Westbrook.
A lineup of Simmons, Durant, Irving, Joe Harris and Seth Curry, while light defensively, could be a devastating offensive unit if Simmons is out there creating open looks. Per Second Spectrum tracking, 371 players have attempted 150 wide-open 3s over the last five seasons. Harris, Curry and Durant all rank in the top four on such attempts.
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