Reassessing the NBA's off-season free agency additions

Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving

Given KD is yet to suit up for the Nets, let's throw Brooklyn's pair of prized recruits in together.

The success of the Durant signing will depend purely on what version of KD we get next season. He'll be 32 when next season starts, coming off the single most devastating injury a basketballer can endure.

While he isn't an athlete that carries a lot of meat on his frame, he is a player that relies somewhat on athleticism. It's expected that Durant will age gracefully given his height and the high release on his jumper, but that was supposed to happen in his mid 30s. The Nets will be hoping that they get the old Durant and not Old Durant.

Regarding Kyrie, I tried to reach out to Kenny Atkinson for comment, but he was unavailable. I'd expect that the recently dumped Nets coach (and future former Knicks coach) will have very distinctive public and private thoughts on his former point guard.

On a purely professional front, Irving has been fantastic when suited up this season. In a small sample size of 20 games, Irving has put up 27.4 points (career high), 5.2 boards, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals (all in line with career averages).

What has also been patently clear, is that the Nets have been better without their big ticket addition. With Irving, the team are an underwhelming 8-12. For much of the season, the team had a positive win/loss ratio without him. That, as well as his less than stellar team building statements to the media, have made this a difficult season for both player and team.

The hope is that with KD back next season, Irving will slip into the only role in which he's had true success in his NBA career: the high scoring #2 option.

DeAndre Jordan

The 31 year old centre came as part of a package: the cost of doing business with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

There was concern that Jordan was spent after his statistically solid but underwhelming efforts in Dallas and New York last season. To a degree, those fears were proven correct: Jordan clearly isn't the athlete that he was in his Clippers pomp, and his offensive game – free throw shooting aside - has never really developed beyond running, jumping, and occasionally killing a man.

There was also legitimate concern about Jordan taking court time and therefore development time from the Nets very own DeAndre Jordan in Training, Jarrett Allen. Whilst Allen has maintained his starting role, and played the majority of minutes at the five, Jordan has undoubtedly eaten into his progress.

As the table below demonstrates, their stats per 100 possessions are remarkably similar but where Jordan has continued to struggle is defending on the perimeter; an area that Allen has proven very capable.

Jordan has, however, given the Nets a proven commodity to play at centre for all 48 minutes, and that can't be underestimated. In a season where seemingly everything has been in flux in New Jersey, consistent production at centre has been a constant.

It will be interesting to monitor the minute split of the two centres, now that that Coach Kenny Atkinson is out of the picture. Worryingly, Jordan has started in Allen's place in the team's first game since the Atkinson firing.

Bojan Bogdanovic

Utah's choice over the off season was clear: exchange a portion of their smothering defense, for some offensive explosion. Essentially, they've looked to become more balanced. The thought process was solid; ask the Sixers how their brilliant defense and clunky offensive fit is going.

While the trade for Mike Conley hasn't really panned out yet, the signing of Bojan Bogdanovic from Indiana for $73 million over four years has worked a treat.

It was certainly a risk for Utah to hand that sort of money to a 30 year old with only six months of true leading man status on his NBA resume, but the Bosnian has been everything the Jazz had hoped for.

Bogdanovic is second on the team in scoring at 20.5 points per game and his outside shot (3 three pointers per game at a scorching 41.5%) has opened up the offense exactly as the team would have hoped. He's also proven to be a more physical player than expected, leading the team with 4 made free throws per game and holding up down low against power forwards that look to exploit his relative lack of size.

The move has juiced Utah's offense, currently seventh in the league. They do need to find their defensive mojo, however. That vaunted defense has slipped to 12^th in the NBA.

An added bonus for the Jazz is Bogdanovic's late game ruthlessness: he's hit game winners against both the Bucks and Rockets this season.