The superteams in the NBA are nothing that is happening recently. It has happened in the past and it will happen again. But no matter what teams trying to string a superteam will always be criticised by the other supporters and that is what’s happening with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
They were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round and that was not a nice feeling for the players or the management. Hence they decided to bring in reinforcements to support LeBron James and Anthony Davies. As a result, they signed players like Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk Trevor Ariza and others. However, the Brooklyn Nets also did the same thing last season by securing Kyrie Irving and James Harden and pairing them with Kevin Durant only to win the NBA Championship.
Apart from pairing up with two superstars in Brooklyn, Harden had other reasons to join the Nets. Before joining the Nets he was with the Houston Rockets for many years. Although he made his name with the Rockets, he never got to win the NBA title. Therefore he decided to move away and started all his antics. He was heavily criticised for his actions but finally, he managed to move away.
Harden however revealed that there was more to the story. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to come to New York and Brooklyn. I want to build my business side and my brand side more than it already is, and what other place would you do that than Brooklyn? And as long as we win, as long as we handle our business on the court, our work off the court will reach the same level,” He revealed one of his many reasons to join the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite their superteam, the Nets failed to reach the NBA finals as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated them in the Eastern Conference finals and went on to win the title against Phoenix Suns. While injuries were a massive concern for the Nets as the trio did not get much time to play with each other to develop that understanding and tempo.
“There really wasn’t any adjustment. I still play how I play, but now I don’t have to shoot the ball so much. It’s really the best style for me, to be honest.” Harden stated.
“Kevin and Kyrie can always go get a bucket. And, with me as a playmaker, I can think about how to get shooters involved, how to get big touches, how to create open shots. My main focus is trying to get everybody involved and have each guy make an impact on the game.”
Not many people will argue that if all three of them were they would have been a favourite to win the NBA title last season. However, they are eager to go again this time and hopefully, without injuries we will get to see a great fight between the Nets and Lakers.
