3 rivals Toronto Raptors fans can laugh at due to chaotic starts

1. Brooklyn Nets

With every day, the Nets seem to get more chaotic and messy. From Kyrie Irving promoting some very controversial and anti-Semitic material and Kevin Durant taking direct shots at his teammates, the fact that Brooklyn has won as much as they have seems like a minor miracle.

One of the main reasons the Raptors have less reason to be fearful over the Nets is the play of Ben Simmons. The former No. 1 overall pick scored more than 10 points for the first time in Brooklyn, and it came in a loss where the Nets surrendered 153 points to the Kings. The vibes could not be more off.

The Toronto Raptors are much more stable than the Nets.

It’s not hyperbole to say that the only literal reason that the Raptors should give the Nets a wide berth in any context is the fact that Durant is still one of the game’s best players and capable of taking the game over. If you remove that, the Jacque Vaughn spark appears to have dried up.

The Nets appear to have made a deal with the devil to land Durant and compete for titles, but the bill has come due and Brooklyn’s roster construction remains a mess. While they beat the Raptors earlier in the year, this confused franchise faces longer odds of doing it again.