X

Patrick Beverley: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant Need 'a Lot of Help' to Win NBA Title

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMay 17, 2022

MILWAUKEE, WI - MAY 4: Kevin Durant #7 talks with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on May 4, 2021 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley remains skeptical the Brooklyn Nets as currently constructed can climb to the NBA's mountaintop.

"Can they bring a title to Brooklyn? They need a lot of help...three really good teams that's gonna be in Eastern Conference next year for sure," Beverley said Tuesday on ESPN's Get Up.

Brooklyn's first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics was a sobering assessment of where the team stands.

Durant looked mortal against Boston, shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and he isn't getting any younger. The 12-time All-Star will be 34 when the 2022-23 season tips off.

Irving had another uneven postseason as well. The 59 points he dropped in Games 1 and 4 bookended him shooting 10-of-30 from the floor in Games 2 and 3.

The Nets are also counting on a third star, Ben Simmons, who missed the entire season and underwent a microdiscectomy on his back.

It doesn't appear general manager Sean Marks can simply run it back with the same roster and expect dramatically different results next year. That would even presents a challenge of its own when Irving can opt out of his contract and the pair of Bruce Brown and Nicolas Claxton are free agents.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted carrying the 2021-22 squad over to next season could carry a $330 million price tag in terms of player salaries and luxury tax penalties.

If Beverley has any ideas on how Brooklyn can land the necessary "help" for Durant and Irving, then the franchise might be all ears.