Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

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Kevin Durant named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter and team captain

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and guard Kyrie Irving have been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Durant and the Lakers’ LeBron James will serve as team captains for the Team Durant vs. Team LeBron matchup and draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4, at 8 p.m. ET.

Durant has been named an All-Star for the 11th time in his career and an All-Star Game starter for the ninth time. He has been selected as an All-Star for the 11th straight season that he has played (2010-21), with the lone exception being the 2020 All-Star Game after he missed the 2019-20 season due to injury.

The only active player with more All-Star Game selections than Durant is LeBron James (selected for the 17th time tonight). A two-time All-Star Game MVP (2012 and 2019) who holds the second-highest scoring average in All-Star Game history (25.0 points per game), Durant has helped lead Brooklyn to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference (18-12) while registering averages of 29.0 points (sixth in the league and third in the East), 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in 35.8 minutes per game and shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from 3-point range and 86.9 percent from the free-throw line across 19 games.

Durant began the 2020-21 season by scoring 20 or more points in 17 straight games, the longest stretch of 20-point games to open a season in his career and tied for the third-longest stretch at any point in a season in Nets history.

Durant averaged 30.6 points per game through his first 15 games this season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1959-60 with the Philadelphia Warriors) as the only players to average 30.0 points per game through their first 15 games with a new team in NBA history.

Durant and Irving are the fifth and sixth Nets to ever be selected as All-Star Game starters, joining Jason Kidd (2008), Vince Carter (2005), Kenny Anderson (1994) and Derrick Coleman (1994), and just the second pair of Nets selected to start an All-Star Game together, joining Anderson and Coleman, who were selected to start the 1994 All-Star Game in Minnesota.

Nets sign guard/forward Andre Roberson

The Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday signed free agent guard/forward Andre Roberson.

Limited by injury in recent seasons, Roberson recognized as a very good defensive player with limited offensive ability.

Roberson (6’7”, 210) spent the first seven seasons (2013-20) of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, appearing in 302 games (269 starts) and averaging 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. Returning from a left knee injury, the San Antonio native saw action in seven games in the 2019-20 season, recording averages of 2.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest.

An NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2017, the 29-year-old Roberson has also made four playoff appearances with the Thunder, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2016.

Roberson was originally selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by Minnesota before being traded to Oklahoma City on draft night. Prior to beginning his NBA career, Roberson spent three years (2010-13) at the University of Colorado, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors twice (2012 and 2013) and garnering the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013.

James Harden is the Nets point guard, says Kyrie Irving

As soon as the Nets traded for James Harden, the obvious question was if he’d be more of a shooting guard or if Kyrie Irving would play that role. And even though Harden was a shooting guard early in his career, he’s clearly proven to be an assist-producing machine. The obvious guess was that he should be the Nets’ PG, with Irving playing off the ball a bit more as a pure scorer. Well, Irving agrees. Via the NY Post:

James Harden dissected Golden State with 16 assists Saturday night, the most by a player in Brooklyn Nets history. And as he continues to look like the most effective point guard in the league, the Nets’ former point guard has officially bestowed the position on him.

“I feel like he’s doing a great job of managing the point guard role,” Kyrie Irving said after the Nets’ 134-117 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night. “We established that maybe four days ago now. I just looked at him, and I said, ‘You’re the point guard, and I’m going to play shooting guard.’

“That was as simple as that. So he’s been taking control of the responsibilities and doing an incredible job. It just makes my job easier to just go out and play free and just make plays. It’s a luxury. I just want to continue it.”

The Nets offense is already excellent and should get even better as the season progresses, especially as roles get more clearly defined and chemistry further develops.

Nets forward Kevin Durant set to return Saturday vs. Warriors

The Nets are getting Kevin Durant back in time for tomorrow’s game against Stephon Curry, Draymond Green and the Warriors. Via the NY Post:

The Nets superstar rejoined the team for practice Friday, following a six-day quarantine with negative COVID-19 tests after he came into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus last Friday. He will be a full go for Saturday night’s game against the Warriors as the Nets tip off a five-game West Coast road trip…

The week off marked Durant’s second COVID-19 quarantine of the season, though this one was much messier. He was a late scratch for the start of last Friday’s game against the Raptors because of an inconclusive COVID-19 test for the person he came into contact with, then was allowed to play late in the first quarter. But Durant was eventually taken off the floor in the third quarter when that person’s COVID-19 test came back positive.

The Nets are 15-12 this season. A record good enough for 3rd best in an Eastern conference with just four teams with records above .500 through Thursday’s games.

Nets fans can attend home games starting February 23, limited to 10 percent arena capacity

New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that Barclays Center has been approved to reopen beginning Tuesday, Feb. 23, when the Nets take on the Sacramento Kings at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Following State guidelines, the venue will be limited to 10 percent capacity until further notice.

Per BSE Global, who manage and operate Barclays Center and the Nets, “Barclays Center will employ robust health and safety protocols that have been developed in coordination with the New York State Department of Health, the National Basketball Association and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC). These protocols include: a negative PCR test for all patrons, administered within 72 hours in advance of the game; mandatory temperature checks; social distancing and use of face masks; and thorough cleaning and sanitation procedures. To help further ensure the safety of Barclays Center fans and employees, the venue will also continue to provide COVID-19 testing to all arena employees prior to each game. Barclays Center has achieved GBAC STAR™ accreditation, the gold standard for prepared facilities.”

“Thank you to Governor Cuomo and his team at the Department of Health for collaborating with us in creating a robust health and safety plan that allows fans to return to our arena,” said BSE Global CEO John Abbamondi. “The Governor has played a tremendous role in getting New York businesses back on their feet and we are proud to announce that for the remainder of the season we are donating a portion of ticket proceeds to support vaccination efforts here in Brooklyn. We would also like to thank our fans for their support this season and we are looking forward to bringing their energy back to Barclays Center!”

Nets sign Noah Vonleh

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Noah Vonleh.

Vonleh (6’10”, 257) has played in 335 career games (171 starts) across six NBA seasons with Charlotte (2014-15), Portland (2015-18), Chicago (2018), New York (2018-19), Minnesota (2019-20) and Denver (2020), recording averages of 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game. Vonleh’s most productive season was the 2018-19 campaign with the Knicks, as he registered career-best averages of 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per contest.

Most recently, Vonleh signed with the Bulls on Nov. 27, but was waived on Dec. 14.

The 25-year-old has also made three postseason appearances with the Trail Blazers (2016 and 2017) and Nuggets (2020).

Vonleh was originally selected with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by Charlotte after spending one season at Indiana. In his lone collegiate season, the Haverhill, Mass., native was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while also garnering All-Big Ten Third Team honors.

Kevin Durant removed from Raptors vs. Nets game due to COVID-19 contact tracing concerns

It was an unusual situation in Brooklyn tonight, centered around Nets star forward Kevin Durant.

Via the Toronto Star:

Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant was going to play, then wasn’t allowed to play, then got clearance to play and finally had to stop playing in the third quarter of a truly odd Nets-Raptors game in Brooklyn.

The Durant saga underscores the oddities in a testing/contact tracing world the NBA is trying to navigate through this regular season.

It put a damper on, and added considerable confusion to, a delightful offensive display by both teams but highlights the inherent difficulty with pulling off games and seasons with daily testing, contact tracing and other aspects of dealing with a raging pandemic.

The game itself was delightful as Kyle Lowry simply willed the Raptors to a 123-117 win with typical fourth-quarter brilliance.

Lowry finished with a season-high 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Pascal Siakam added 33 points as the Raptors played one of their best games of the season.

And the New York Post:

Kevin Durant was a last-minute scratch from the Nets’ starting lineup Friday night, then was inserted into the game late and finally pulled for good, all due to COVID-19 contact tracing.

Durant will not travel with the team to Philadelphia on Saturday, according to ESPN.

The NBA said in a statement that Durant was pulled from the game “out of an abundance of caution” after someone he interacted with tested positive for coronavirus after their initial test was inconclusive. The league also said Durant tested negative three times in the past 24 hours.

The entire world is learning to navigate through the the coronavirus pandemic. And it’s certainly a learning process for any event-based organizations, especially sports leagues. The NBA certainly has to examine exactly what happened today, and what to take away from this going forward.

Nets are much-improved in TV ratings department

The Nets are rising in the TV ratings department. Via the New York Post:

James Harden hasn’t faced the Knicks in his new Brooklyn uniform but he’s already beating them.

Harden was obtained in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 13, hours before the Nets played the Knicks at the Garden.

The Nets, since Harden’s first game, are averaging 122,000 viewers per game to the Knicks’ 111,000 viewers, based on Nielsen ratings, according to sources.

This isn’t a surprise. The Knicks are playing respectable basketball this season but are in a rebuilding state. While the Nets have three of the NBA’s best and most popular players, are still working out team chemistry, especially on the defensive end, but are focused on competing for the 2021 NBA championship and should certainly make the playoffs.

James Harden, Nikola Jokic named NBA Players of Week

The NBA announced today that Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Jan. 25, through Sunday, Jan. 31.

The honor is Harden’s first as a Net and the 25th Player of the Week award of his career.

Harden led Brooklyn to a 3-1 week, including a 3-0 mark in games he appeared in. Harden recorded averages of 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 37.6 minutes per game, while shooting 56.8 percent from the field, 55.0 percent from 3-point range and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line. His assists per game were the highest in the league for the week. Harden opened the week by recording 20 points, four rebounds and eight assists in 34 minutes in a 98-85 victory over the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on Jan. 25. He followed up that performance by posting 31 points, eight rebounds, a Nets season-high 15 assists, two steals and one block in 46 minutes in a 132-128 overtime win at the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 27. In that game, Harden became the second player this season, and the first player in the Eastern Conference, to register 30 or more points and 15 or more assists in a game. He also became the first Nets player since Stephon Marbury on Jan. 20, 2000, versus Detroit to notch 30 or more points and 15 or more assists in a game. Harden rounded out his week by logging his third triple-double in eight games as a Net, registering 25 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 32 minutes in a 147-125 victory on Jan. 29 at Oklahoma City. The 147 points for the Nets matched a franchise record for points scored in a regulation game. Harden sat out Brooklyn’s fourth and final game of the week last night at Washington with a left thigh contusion.

Harden is the 27th player in franchise history to earn Player of the Week honors and the second this season, joining Kevin Durant, who captured the award on Jan. 18. Harden and Durant are the first Nets teammates to win Player of the Week awards in the same season since Brook Lopez and Deron Williams in the 2014-15 campaign, and the second set of teammates to earn Player of the Week honors in the NBA this season, joining Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (Jan. 25) and Tobias Harris (Jan. 4).

In his 12th NBA season, Harden has appeared in 16 games this season, including eight with the Nets. In those eight games as a Net, he’s registered averages of 24.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 11.8 assists (first in the NBA) and 1.1 steals in 39.9 minutes per game, shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 87.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Jokić wins the award in consecutive weeks, becoming the first Nugget to win in back-to-back weeks since Carmelo Anthony in 2006 (11/27/06 & 12/4/06). He has now earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors eight times in his career, the second most in franchise history.

Jokić, 25, averaged 30.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.30 steals while shooting .623 from the field and .455 from three-point range. He helped lead the Nuggets to a 3-1 week, including a home win over the Utah Jazz on 1/31, snapping their 11-game winning streak and two road wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. The 3-1 week moved Denver’s record to 12-8, fourth best in the Western Conference.

Jokić started the week by registering 20 points (8-13 FG’s), 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in a road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 1/25. Denver then headed to Miami, where he put up a stat-line of 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes. Jokić followed that performance up with another massive game, finishing with 35 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal at San Antonio on 1/29. He finished the week with arguably the best game of his career vs. Utah, tying a career-high with 47 points (17-26 FG’s), 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 37 minutes, becoming the first Nugget to ever post those numbers. He scored 22 points in the first quarter and 33 points in the first half, both career-highs in any single quarter or half.

Jokić leads the NBA in PER, is third in total assists, fifth in assists per game, sixth in rebounds per game and 12th in scoring, while averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.75 steals in 35.8 minutes. He has also produced a double-double in all 20 games, becoming just the second player since 1976 to record a double-double in each of the first 20 games (Walton).