Brooklyn Nets Big 3: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving
Combined average 2020-21 PER: 25.2
Arguably, the combined PER speaks for itself. The discrepancy between the second-place Bucks and the fifth-place Suns is roughly the same as that between the Nets and the Bucks. In other words:
Holy (expletive), these guys are good.
The playoffs, of course, did not pan out the way the Brooklyn faithful had hoped, with Kyrie Irving being forced to miss the last 3 games of their series with the Bucks, and James Harden on one leg. Nonetheless, if these three guys can get healthy and stay healthy together, it requires a gifted artist’s imagination to picture them not stampeding their way to an NBA championship.
It’s a little difficult to get analytical about this group. We’re talking about three of the very most talented offensive players in NBA history, and that statement comes without an ounce of hyperbole. Their greatness gets in your face and shouts “I’m walking here!”.
If you were trying to make a case for the Utah Jazz’s triumvirate over Brooklyn’s, you would have to point to floor balance. Admittedly, both Gobert and Conley are lower usage offensive players than anyone in Brooklyn’s trio, and the borough representatives lack a player with Gobert’s defensive impact.
Yet, nobody in good conscience could rank them ahead of this Brooklyn Nets trio. Simply put, they have too much talent. Assuming better injury luck for them, they project as the best Big 3 in the NBA heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.