Kyrie Irving back with Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Nets made headlines prior to last season when they inked both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant missed the entire season after suffering an injury in the 2019 NBA final though and Irving wasn’t able to participate inside the NBA bubble in Orlando either. The team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors without much noise being made.
The pressure is on the Nets this season though with a healthy Durant and Irving back in the lineup. The team even went out and acquired superstar James Harden from the Houston Rockets to play alongside the two as they look to build a championship contender.
There were some concerns from fans though as Irving spent time two weeks away from the team, missing a total of seven games. Five games he missed were due to personal reasons, while the other two were due to conditioning.
“I’m back, I’m happy to be back,” Irving told reporters on Tuesday, via ESPN. “And we got some great pieces and we just move on and I let my actions and my game speak for itself like I planned on doing. Just needed a pause.”
The Nets are 9-6 after their first 15 games of the season, as they are still adjusting to playing together. They did manage to pull off a massive victory against the Milwaukee Bucks though, even with Irving in the lineup. The club is certainly thrilled to have him back though and Irving seemed excited to be returning as well.
“When things become overwhelming in life, you’ve just got to take a step back and realize what’s important,” Irving said. “And I love to play — it’s never been a question. I’ve committed myself, when this wasn’t even a thing for me.”
“My commitment has always [been] to bringing something special to Brooklyn,” Irving said. “It wasn’t just a championship. It was unity, equality, just bigger things than just the game itself. It took quite a while and quite a few valleys to get back home, initially. So for me, I’m just taking every day, just being grateful.”
A player missing time is never ideal, especially when the team is still trying to figure out their chemistry and style of play. However, Irving seems to have been dealing with some real personal issues and the time he spent away from the game may prove to be invaluable going forward. The pressure to perform will be on the team throughout the regular season considering they just acquired Harden as well, but the real expectations will come during the playoffs when the games really matter.
The superstar told media he has addressed his teammates and the organization individually and all seems to be good within the Nets clubhouse.
Irving is expected to be back in the lineup for Brooklyn’s game on Wednesday evening against the Cavaliers in Cleveland at the Quicken Loans Arena. The Nets will also take on the Cavaliers on Friday night as well.
