I want the Nets to make the playoffs. I want them to be good again, so long after Billy King went all in for a championship, after he mortgaged their entire future and then some. I still don’t think they have any first round picks for the next decade, but they’re making it work this season. They just have to up their game one more notch so that they get the 7th seed rather than the 8th seed they’re currently at.
Not like being a low-seeded playoff team is really anything to strive for, and I still don’t see a path to actual championship-contenderness unless D’Angelo Russell turns into the star he was supposed to be. Or Rodions Kurucs turns into Latvian white Giannis 0.7.
I can’t tell if Russell still has that star potential. He’s putting up good numbers, but the numbers have never really been a problem for him. It’s those advanced numbers that have always been his bugaboo. His squads have been worse with him on the court for his entire career, including this year. Which is weird, because he looks pretty good in all these highlight videos I make of him. I guess that’s why they call them highlights and not mediocrelights.