Will the Nets' new 'Big 3' be better than their last?
The Brooklyn Nets have assembled a new-look "Big 3."
It's out with the old and in with the new for the New York City borough, and the Nets are hoping that their hardships are going to be made easier with the departure of James Harden.
Breezing into town are a host of ready-made contributors — a veteran marksman in Seth Curry and a rugged glass-cleaner in Andre Drummond. And rounding out the trio is undoubtedly the most talented player of the group, 6-foot-11 All-Star Ben Simmons.
And while Simmons represents the most enigmatic figure of the new arrivals, he's the unequivocal third fixture in the team's fresh "Big 3," which has folks revving up their think tanks regarding what the Nets will resemble on the court.
Will it be a threesome superior to the Harden-Durant-Irving one?
Chris Broussard says no, citing Simmons' shooting woes as the main reason for his train of thought.
"If you have Ben Simmons on the perimeter, he's going to be the same liability on the offensive end that he was in Philadelphia," Broussard said Wednesday on "First Things First."
"We can't say that the ‘Big 3’ with Harden was a success because it's disbanded and [they have] no championships and no Finals appearances. But if we keep it real, the biggest problem for that ‘Big 3’ was injuries. They were 13-3 [together] and 5-1 in the playoffs. Yes, they weren't great defensively, but they could be adequate."
Is Nets' new Big 3 scarier than the old one? I FIRST THINGS FIRST
Nick Wright, though, believes this compilation of stars will incite more fear into opponents than did the old one.
"They actually have a chance at stopping the opposing best players in the league now, because they have a legitimate great defensive player. They have a guy who's in the discussion as the best perimeter defensive player in basketball. The [old] Nets' ‘Big 3’ was never going to work, because you didn't have a way to stop people."
The best version of Simmons might be a necessity for Brooklyn to accomplish the goals it has set for itself this season.
How they'll use him has yet to be determined, but only he holds the answer to the question: Will this 'Big 3' top the last one?
