After a tumultuous offseason in which stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant appeared to be heading out of Brooklyn, the Nets couldn't get out from under the dark cloud hovering over them in their season opener Wednesday.
While Durant played like his All-Star self, Irving and Ben Simmons, who made his Nets debut after being traded to the franchise last season, turned in ugly performances in a disastrous night for the Nets as they got spanked by the New Orleans Pelicans, 130-108, on their home floor.
Irving was pretty-much a no-show, hitting just 6-of-19 shots and going an embarrassing 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He finished with 15 points in 34 minutes while adding in five assists.
Simmons' showing was even worse than Irving's. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft had three times as many turnovers and personal fouls combined than he did shot attempts. Simmons ended up fouling out after playing 23 minutes and only attempted three shots during his time on the court. He did collect five rebounds and five assists, but turned the ball over three times and finished as a minus-26.
That type of production certainly won't ingratiate Simmons to the Brooklyn fan base. But to be fair to the three-time All-Star, it was his first game since June 20, 2021, so there definitely could be a rust factor there. Irving doesn't have the same type of excuse to fall back on, though.
While the Nets have a boatload of talent and are seen as a contender for an NBA title -- they have the fourth-best odds from DraftKings Sportsbook to win the championship as of Wednesday night -- their abysmal play to start the season indicates it will be another dumpster fire in Brooklyn this year.
And that will be as entertaining as anything around the NBA this season.
