brooklyn nets kevin durant
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The Nets have had an interesting season, but there is plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

The first-place Brooklyn Nets can relax on Thanksgiving. They are right where they planned on being at this point in the season, even if it isn’t going according to the original plan.

There is no Kyrie Irving for the Nets and James Harden is slowed, but there are plenty of reasons for fans to be thankful for their Nets. Let’s take a look at three of them.

Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is the best player in the world. Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have strong arguments to make, but Durant is probably going to be every Brooklyn fan’s pick in this category.

He’s one of the frontrunners to win MVP on every sportsbook in the world (trailing only Curry) and he’s the biggest reason why the Nets are in first place in the Eastern Conference.

His dominance on every part of the floor is notable, but he’s absolutely killing it from the mid-range this year. The mid-range will never be dead for anyone as talented as Durant.

The future Hall of Famer is picking up the slack while James Harden works his way back into shape and Kyrie Irving continues his absence.

Savvy Vets

After signing Durant and Irving, and eventually trading for Harden, the big question for general manager Sean Marks was who would fill in the gaps around the big three?

The answer seems to be savvy veterans.

Blake Griffin was acquired via buyout last season and even though he’s being asked to play a different role than ever before, he’s proving himself to be someone who will do anything to win.

LaMarcus Aldridge was another guy the Nets picked up off the buyout market last year, but he wasn’t able to finish the season due to a heart issue. After doctors cleared him, he’s back and having a resurgent season. The seven-time All-Star is shooting 58% from the floor and doing it largely with his refined mid-range game.

And who’s that blur running around the three-point line? Oh, right that’s Patty Mills — another former Spur. Mills is converting on 49% of his three-pointers on a fairly ridiculous 6.2 attempts per game. He’s second in the NBA behind only Jonas Valančiūnas (56%), a center who only attempts 2.1 threes per game.

The savvy vets deserve all the credit in the world for dominating in their roles.

Overreactions

The Nets are a title contender oozing with star power and a stable full of lightning-rod-type players. This means that the talking heads of the world will overreact to every little bit of adversity that occurs in Brooklyn.

Remember when Stephen A. Smith definitively declared Kevin Durant’s decision to sign with the Nets as a mistake? What was the final straw for Smith to declare the Nets dead? They lost to the Golden State Warriors, the team in the NBA with the best record.

Brooklyn is sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference and their title hopes are still very much alive. So much for Kevin Durant ruing the day when he signed with the Nets.

Instead of outrage, the only thing Nets fans can do is be thankful for the age of hot takes. If Brooklyn is going to win it all either this year or next, fans will have a treasure trove of old takes to expose. Start bookmarking those tweets now.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.