NBA news: Are the Brooklyn Nets falling apart just before the playoffs start?

Once considered the heavy favorites to win the championship this season, the Brooklyn Nets now find themselves in the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

Kyrie Irving returning full-time was supposed to give the team a huge jolt of energy, but in his last five games he's averaging just 21.4 points on 36.2 percent shooting.

Irving did admit that returning to home games at the Barclays Center has been a bit of an adjustment for him, but the Nets can't afford their star player being off his game.

The Nets need Irving to rediscover his form as soon as his next game, with the team lacking enough depth to properly support both him and Kevin Durant - especially with Seth Curry dealing with an ankle injury.

The Nets failed to beat the Atlanta Hawks despite getting a career-high 55 points from KD on Saturday night. Irving also went for 31 points, albeit on a very inefficient 12-of-32 shooting from the field.

Nobody else on the Nets could even crack double figures in the game. Granted, they were missing Bruce Brown, who has been a huge part of the Nets' success recently.

Multiple bookies and analysts still believe the Nets can battle their way out of the East, with most believing the duo of KD and Kyrie are good enough to paper over the side's obvious flaws.

They simply don't have enough depth in their roster to put together a good supporting cast for their superstar duo, and that's likely going to stop them in their tracks when it comes to any Championship aspirations.

Brown's versatility makes him useful on both ends of the floor, as he's willing to guard multiple positions and do all the dirty work it takes to win games. His floater is also deadly.

Patty Mills and Curry are lights-out shooters from three when they have it going, but consistency and injuries are going to be a question mark as this team embarks on its playoff journey.

Andre Drummond is a rebounding machine, but his lack of mobility could hinder his ability to stay in front of opposing players driving to the rim or serving as a rim protector, so, in certain matchups, he becomes a liability.

With only a week left in the season, time is running out for the Nets to build the necessary chemistry to win a championship, especially with the unstable nature of how the season has gone.

But one thing the Nets do have going for them is that KD and Kyrie are best friends off the court and have been playing together long enough to understand each other's tendencies on the court. If both of them can get it going and the role players step up just a little bit, this team will be a tough out in the playoffs no matter where they're seeded.