The Brooklyn Nets have had a tumultuous time despite having a talented big three, and the ticketing department also seems to have taken a hit.
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Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are two of the biggest talents modern basketball has seen. Adding a young star in Ben Simmons and a talented cast around them would translate to a successful team in any normal setting.
Unfortunately, normal doesn’t even begin to resemble what has come of the Nets over the past couple of years. Drama has been a constant companion and has considerably hampered the organization.
Trade rumors, vaccination laws, botched moves – the Nets have had it all. And, naturally, with so much non-basketball issues clouding the franchise, ticket numbers also seem to have taken a hit.
Despite the stardom that has settled at Brooklyn, the Nets are dead last in season ticket sales. Only 5,500 season tickets in the 17,732 seater Barclays Center.
Is there concern in Brooklyn surrounding the ticket sales?
If there was a list of teams most desperate to win a championship, that would be a list topped by the Brooklyn Nets. The franchise has been a money-losing enterprise for owner Joe Tsai and the drop in season ticket holders could be seen as proof of an alarming situation.
With the Nets also delving deep in luxury tax, the alarm bells ring louder. The team needs to show up and win a championship. Only the revenue and possibilities arising from such an event can project a upward climb for the Nets finances.
A 30% dip from last season’s season ticket sales numbers clearly points at a lack of trust among fans. This despite the roster arguably looking more suited to a title challenge now than in previous years.
Can the Brooklyn Nets realistically make a title charge in 2022-23?
The question also translates to a bigger issue with the Nets – Can they be more than paper tigers in 2022-23?
It all started with just Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Then a James Harden trade helped the Nets assemble one of the most star studded rosters in NBA history. And then, that failed.
Panic arose and the experiment died early. On paper, the Nets where overwhelming favourites. But none of that translated to on-court success. And even the acquisition of Ben Simmons in a trade involving James Harden seems to have given rise to more questions than answers.
The Nets would need Simmons to be the version of him that excited the NBA in his early seasons to drive them to contention. They would also require considerable internal growth from youngsters like Nicolas Claxton to compete with the bullish frontcourts the East has to throw.
The start of the season has seen a rusty Ben Simmons and a generally shaky and poor-shooting iteration of the Nets taking the floor. While these are issues that should ideally get fixed during the course of the season, history suggests that the Nets may not be expecting an ideal draw in their favor.
They can’t, can they? It difficult to believe in this iteration of the Nets as actual contenders. This, despite three absolute stars leading the line.
